• 143 meritorious students selected from underprivileged communities across 21 states and 130+ cities
• 57% of the students are female candidates
• Each student will be provided with financial assistance of INR 1,05,000 per year, for 4 years of their Bachelor of Dental Surgery course

New Delhi : 143 meritorious students from underprivileged communities across 21 states and 130+ cities were awarded the ’Sensodyne IDA Shining Star Scholarship’ to pursue Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) today at the Oral Health Innovation Conclave (OHIC) in Delhi.

OHIC is a first-of-its-kind national event organised by Indian Dental Association (IDA) focusing on innovations, entrepreneurship, and research in oral healthcare. The event was graced by dignitaries such as Dr. L. Swasticharan (Additional Deputy Director General of Health Services) as the Guest of Honour, Lt. Gen. Satish R Iyer (Director General Dental Services), Dr. Puneet Girdhar (President IDA), Dr. Ashok Dhoble (Hon Sec General IDA), Dr. Meera Verma (Chairperson for DDS), and Dr. Vandana Agarwal (Organizing Secretary DDS), Mr. Navneet Saluja, MD – India Sub-Continent, Haleon India and Ms. Anurita Chopra, Head of Marketing, India Sub-continent, Haleon India.

This scholarship programme for BDS students is a CSR initiative by Haleon India (erstwhile GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare) which is in line with the company’s purpose “to deliver better everyday health with humanity”.

An amount of more than INR 6 crores will be disbursed under this programme amongst these 143 students to support their academic and living expenses incurred during their 4-year BDS programme. Each of these students will be provided with a financial assistance of INR 1,05,000 per year for 4 years of their BDS course.

With the mission to facilitate underprivileged and exceptional dental students bring their dreams to life, Haleon India launched this programme in partnership with IDA

and Buddy4Study (B42), NGO in July 2022. It is a step to address the disparities around the dentist – population ratio. 2000+ applicants had registered, after which IDA and B4S initiated the selection process to shortlist the 143 deserving students.

Speaking on the celebratory occasion, Ms. Shanu Saksena, CSR Head, Haleon India (GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare) said, “We are elated to announce the well-deserving winners of this scholarship and many congratulations to them. We would like to thank Indian Dental Association for being our trusted knowledge partner and sharing their knowledge and support throughout this endeavour. Together, we are proud to provide an opportunity to these aspiring dental students to achieve their dreams and make a difference in the world. This initiative is a true representation of Haleon’s purpose “to deliver better health with humanity”, and we are excited to play this pivotal role in their professional and educational journey.”

Dr. Ashok Dhoble, Hon. Secretary General, Indian Dental Association said, “First of all, a huge congratulations to the 143 students who have been awarded the Sensodyne IDA Shining Star Scholarship to pursue Bachelor’s in Dental Surgery through government dental colleges. The Indian Dental Association (IDA) has always been in the forefront to support dental college students and has been their friend, advocate and guide. As the knowledge partner to the Sensodyne IDA Shining tar Scholarship Programme, IDA wholeheartedly supports this initiative by Haleon India. IDA believes that this project would not only touch the lives of the financially less privileged, meritorious students but also fulfil their family’s dreams. IDA is committed to handhold every student until their goals are achieved.”