This Tamil Nadu Startup Is Taking Oral Healthcare To Rural India With Its 'Portable Dental Clinic'

Dental diseases are a significant public health burden in India as well as across the globe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises oral health as an integral part of general health. In most developing countries including India, there is limited access to oral health care services. As a result, teeth are often left untreated or are extracted because of pain or discomfort.

There is a vast difference in oral health status between urban and rural populations in India, with enormous and widening disparities in access to quality care, predominantly in villages. The reason for the low utilisation of health care services is the high cost involved, thereby widening the oral health differences across the socio-economic classes.

Portable Dental Clinic

Founded in June 2021, Clowak Innovations, a Tamil Nadu dental tech start-up, is trying to improve oral health in the country by developing a complete set of compact 'Portable Dental Clinic' (PDC) which claims to solve the gap in the transportation of the Dental Care.

Portable Dental Clinic provides dental care by supporting dentists to reach non-ambulatory, geriatric patients, and pregnant women in remote areas irrespective of their geographical disparities and unreachable environments in a seamless manner. It is a compact suitcase that will have all the standard traditional as well as modern dental instruments and equipment, along with a dental chair in it. Some common equipment is an air rotor high and low, micromotor, three-way syringe, intraoral camera, LED light, steriliser and an ultrasonic scaler.

"Our unique features are it's all-in-one a complete one including a dental chair, whereas available products are heavy and it's difficult to carry every equipment," Surya M Rajendran, co-founder of Clowak Innovations, told The Logical Indian.

PDC is lightweight and easy to carry as it has wheels on it. The ergonomic design of this product will provide ease and comfort for patients, dentists and whoever undergoes dental surgeries or cleaning.

A pilot screening has been done in and around the Vellore district in collaboration with the dentists. "We are planning to expand all over India in future," Rajendra said.

He added, "Indian population, both the rural and urban, is ageing rapidly, and will require the adoption of new modes of dental practise to address the special needs of people. Post-pandemic era, mobile dental clinics are much needed in India."

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