In India, the seed for post-graduate program in periodontics was sown by Dr. G. B. Shankwalkar who introduced the branch of Periodontics in India. Every year we observe the “Oral Hygiene Day” to commemorate the birth anniversary of Late Dr. G.B Shankwalkar. In the past years it has been marked by many harmonious mass demonstrations, rallies and lecture series. However, due to the contagious nature of COVID-19 pandemic, this year we geared up to celebrate the “National Oral Hygiene Day Celebration Month”from 7^th July -6^thAugust 2020 on the virtual platform. We looked forward to raise awareness and enlighten minds regarding the importance of Oral Hygiene through various events and competitions.

1. OHD WEBINAR SERIES

It all started with a Live Webinar Series as a part of Oral Hygiene Day celebration from 7^th July -6^thAugust 2020. Ten webinars were organised which encompassed the most proficient speakers from different corners of India. The webinars targeted the post graduate students, faculty members, clinical practitioners and the research workers.

The webinars were live broadcasted via social media platform You tube so that it could benefit a large number of the viewers. The webinars are uploaded on the you tube channel of Department of Periodontics and Implantology, VSPM Dental College and Research Centre Nagpur so that the recorded version can be easily retrieved and viewed at any time point.Various other competitions were organised in view of the said Occasion.

2. ISP NATIONAL QUIZ COMPETITION ‘SYNAPSE’-2020

 An online National Level Quiz Competition 2020- Synapse”under the aegis of the Indian Society of Periodontology was organised for the post graduate students in periodontics. The entire event was incredibly responded from post graduate students from almost every corner of the nation. It was the first of its kind in the history of the periodontal fraternity in India. 74 teams comprising of two participants each registered for the competition. The quiz entailed four virtual rounds. The competition supported the participation via the social media platforms of Facebook. The Preliminary Round was systematized through Google forms, where out of 75 teams, 35 teams were qualified for the quarter final round. The Quarter FinalRound was audio-visual round where all the 35 teams were connected via zoom app. Amongst those the best performing 15 teams were selected for the semi- final round. The Semi- Final Roundwas arranged using a gaming application called Kahoot. Out of the 15 teams 5 brilliant and dazzling teams qualified for the Grand Finale. Out of the 5 teams, the team from AFMC Pune bagged the first prize, the team from AB Shetty Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore stood second and third position was secured by team from GDC Aurangabad.

3. ISP NATIONAL VIDEO BLOGGING CONTEST 2020

A National Level Video Blogging Contest was organised under the aegis of Indian Society of Periodontologyfor the dental students, academicians and practitioners from all discipline. The topic for the contest was “Gum Disease:A Silent Epidemic”. The contest received a huge response and was very astounding. It was a mega blockbuster which received over 200 entries from many dental colleges of the country. The 4 best videos were awarded rightfully and 16participants were given consolation prizes. The first prize winner was Dr.IshitaWanikar from YMT Dental College. The second prize was shared by Dr.PawanPawar from MGV KBH Nashik, and Dr.Vinisha Bajaj from VSPM Dental College and Research Centre, Nagpur. The third prize was bagged by Dr.Sacharita Banerjee from Dr. R Ahmed Dental College & Hospital Kolkata.

4. E-POSTER & E-SLOGAN COMPETITION

An e-poster& e-slogan competition was organized for the undergraduates, interns, and dental professionals. The topic for the competition was “Oral & Systemic Health–An Interlink”. A total of 386 entries for the e-poster and e-slogan competition were registered.  Laudable e-posters and admirable e-slogans in all three languages i.e. English, Hindi, Marathi were duly awarded.

The award-winning e-posters in Category I – Dental Professionals was of Dr.Indumathi KP, Dr. S Rajakumar, Dr. Jayashree Joshi, Dr.PrernaShirke respectively. The participants who bagged prizes for e-poster in Category II- Interns were P Goutam, Prashika Chahande, Sanjeevani Khode. The winners of Category III-   Undergraduates were Apoorva Dhopte, Muskan Jhunjhunwala, Pallavi Nambiar.

The prizes for e-slogans in Category I was won by Dr. A. Vaishnavi, Dr. Anita Kahar, Dr.SunitaRathi. In Category II the awards for best slogan were bagged by SargamParate, Harsha Gandhi, PriyaSelokar.The prizes for e-slogan in Category III were earned by Pooja Yadav, Achint Chhabra, Bhumika Anand respectively.

5. E-Essay Competition

An e-essay competition was also organized for the school students from STD 8^th to 10^th. The topic of the essay was “Oral Health for a Healthy Life”. The e-essay competition received a massive response from the adolescent minds as this was the best way they could engage themselves in the purposeful and phenomenal activity. The two best essays in each language (Hindi, Marathi, English) were awarded. The first and second prize winners of the essay competition in the English language were Shreeya Samdariya and Srushti Nimbhorkar respectively. Sachi Gupta and Gunjan Madiya won first and second prize respectively for essay in the Hindi language. Sohani Yewale and Sarthak Pundlik won first and second prize respectively for essay in the Marathi language.

6. PAINTING COMPETITION

A painting competition was arranged for the school children from STD V to STD VII. The topic for the competition was “Importance of Oral Health”. The competition received an overwhelming responses from the school children as it was the best way for them to beat the lockdown blues. The best three paintings were awarded suitably. The first prize winner was won by Miss. Mansi Fender, the second prize winner is Mr. Arpit Patil and the third prize was won by Miss. Shreya Vinchurkar.

The virtual celebration of Oral Hygiene Dayin these hard times of the COVID -19 pandemic provided indeed a golden opportunity for the students to unleash their creativity and unveil their skills and knowledge. Along with this, we were also centered on spreading awareness and encouraging common people to maintain oral hygiene and its importance in overall wellbeing.