Auroville Dental Centre for Rural Action 

Auroville Dental Centre is a dental clinic located on Auroville Main Road, Vanur, Tamil Nadu, India. The clinic was founded by Dr Jacques Verré, a French dental surgeon with 49 years of experience, who joined Auroville in 1981 as a volunteer honorary dental practitioner. The clinic uses the universal “Ø Concept” applied in Health Care, which is unique in India, to provide the easiest way and the optimum conditions to maintain the high quality of care with the highest control of fingers for the benefit of the patients all around the world.

‘India, with close to 70% of its 1.2 billion population living in rural areas, has a quasi—non—existent dental care service in these rural areas. Out of the 1,18,000 registered dentists in India today, only 2% of these professionals care for the majority of the rural population or a ratio of 1 dentist for about 250,000 people. As a result, the vast majority suffer from tooth decay and gum diseases. It is estimated that only half of the population uses a toothbrush, primarily due to a lack of awareness. The majority of the rural population lives in over half a million villages, and with poor infrastructure and lack of access to transportation, few have access to oral health services.

[ Information quoted above taken from Demographics of Dentistry in India, Indian Journal of Dental Sciences, June 2011, Issue:2, Vol.:3 ]

We want the best teeth in our villages as an example for the rest of rural India where there are no dental facilities! 

What is essential is to continue to raise the level of health awareness and to combine prevention with curative treatment amongst the rural population, with their active participation, to achieve our goal of "Caries-free children" within 5 years.

Our model of work and organization in disadvantaged rural areas presently works well and can be duplicated in rural areas elsewhere in India, enabling a drastic reduction in health needs and costs.

The Executives of the Auroville Dental Centre and project holders of this rural dental programme are: 

Dr Jacques Verré, a voluntary, French Dental Surgeon living in Auroville since 1981. 

Ms H.Suryagandhi, a voluntary, Indian Multipurpose Health Nurse living in Auroville since 1986.

They work along with 2 Dental Surgeons, 2 assistants and 12 local village women trained as Dental Health Workers.Voluntary Dental Surgeons participating regularly in our programme:

Dr.Wolf NEDDERMEYER -  wolfn@hotmail.com

Dr.Marjut KUPARI - mkupari@mail.student.oulu.fi

Your complementary contribution will help us to maintain our structure till full autonomy after 5 years with less need for advanced treatments among the surrounding population of 25000 poor people (with an equivalent average income of less than 1 US$ per day). 

Indian donors can claim a 50% tax exemption under section 80 G of the Income Tax Act for any donation to the Dental Centre or its projects under the Auroville Foundation. The cheque can be made in the name of Auroville Unity Fund specifying the Project.  

https://donations.auroville.org/

Other countries: please check the possibilities for tax deductions. 

A full detailed project report will be sent to you on request. Meanwhile, you are welcome to visit us.

Thank you very heartily for your support and participation in this unique experience within the emerging universal township!