The Faculty of Dentistry at Universitas Gadjah Mada (FKG UGM) carried out a dental and oral health service program for tea plantation workers at the Pagilaran Tea Estate in Batang, Central Java. Besides providing dental and oral health examinations, the program also offers dentures for workers experiencing tooth loss.
“As of the end of June, a total of 43 residents had received dentures, while around 100 people had undergone dental health examinations. These achievements demonstrate the high demand for dental care services within the community, highlighting the importance of continuing programs like this,” said Dr. Sri Budi Barunawati, Head of the Prosthodontics Specialist Program, in a statement issued on Thursday (Jul. 30).
Dr. Sri explained that the denture service program has had a tangible impact on the surrounding community. The program has been implemented through four visits over the past year.
The Vice Dean for Finance, Assets, and Human Resources of FKG UGM, Dr. Heribertus Dedy Kusuma Yulianto, said the year-long initiative originated from a research-based community service program.
“The program began as a research-based community service initiative. Following our visit to PT Pagilaran, we identified opportunities to develop collaborative programs involving various study programs within the Faculty of Dentistry. One of them was the Department of Prosthodontics, which found that many community members required denture services,” he explained.
The findings from the needs assessment were then followed up through coordination with PT Pagilaran, eventually leading to a collaboration integrating the FKG’s community service program with UGM’s Community Service Program (KKN-PPM UGM).
“From there, we coordinated with PT Pagilaran and developed a collaborative initiative that combined the Faculty of Dentistry’s community service activities with the KKN program,” he said.
Through this collaboration, students also involved in health services for the community. In addition, FKG UGM has revitalized the health clinic within the PT Pagilaran estate, which had been inactive for many years. The initiative has been further strengthened through partnerships with collaborators from the Faculty of Dentistry to support dental health examinations for both local residents and workers at PT Pagilaran.
The Head of the FKG’s Community Service Team, Dr. Lisdrianto Hanindriyo, explained that this year’s monitoring and evaluation activities would focus on refreshing the competencies of community dental health volunteers who had previously received training involving 27 volunteers. According to him, the training equips volunteers with basic dental examination skills, enabling them to detect dental and oral health problems early.
“These competencies are expected to be applied in Integrated Health Service Posts (Posyandu) and other primary community health services,” he said.
In addition to providing training, the FKG UGM team is also evaluating how effectively the knowledge delivered has been implemented in the field. Going forward, each volunteer is expected to assist one neighborhood unit (RT) and actively participate in monthly Posyandu services for both children and older adults.
He added that the collaboration with PT Pagilaran represents a strategic partnership, as the company is one of UGM’s business units and serves as the university’s representative within the community.
“FKG UGM hopes that local communities will directly experience UGM’s presence through community service programs that provide tangible benefits, particularly in improving dental and oral health,” he said.
The Director of Community Service at UGM, Dr. Rustamaji, welcomed the collaboration between FKG UGM and PT Pagilaran. According to him, the synergy between higher education institutions, industry, and the community is a concrete implementation of the Tri-dharma.
“We hope this collaboration will serve as a tangible implementation of the Tri-dharma by delivering direct benefits to the community through sustainable community service programs,” he concluded.
Reporter: Widodo and Ayyub Rizqullah/DPkM
Author: Cyntia Noviana
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-Editor: Priyanandaningrat
Photo: UGM Public Relations and Documentation of DPkM