October 20, 2024
Dr. Suveksha Pandey and Dr. Urmila Paudel, final-year postgraduate students in Public Health Dentistry at B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS), Nepal, participated in a 28-day student exchange program at Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, India, from September 18 to October 15, 2024. During their stay, they gained hands-on experience in search strategies, scoping reviews, and the use of Atlas.ti software. They visited both Bejai Urban and Surthkal Rural Primary Health Centres, observing their operations, and also toured the Community Health Centre in Moodabidri. Additionally, they attended and presented at the International Conference on Dental Education and Curriculum Conclave 6.0, delivered a journal club presentation to faculty and postgraduate students, and engaged in our post graduate presentations and some undergraduate theory classes. They closely observed the functioning of a mobile dental van as well. Their visit included a trip to the Manipal campus and excursions to Karkala and Kaup lighthouses to experience South Indian culture. They provided positive feedback, summarizing their experience: “We observed how the department operates and how it differs from our department at BPKIHS. We encountered new resources, such as the mobile dental van and portable dental unit, which are unavailable at our college. Overall, it was a wonderful learning experience for both of us.”