Children visiting Konya Beyhekim Oral and Dental Health Clinic are no longer afraid of dentist thanks to the special playroom on site. Cartoons are available in the playroom for children to watch to distract them for fearless treatment. As soon as children step foot into the clinic they are greeted by cartoon characters such Keloğlan, the Smurfs, Nasreddin Hodja and Tom and Jerry. From the patient scrubs to the medical and surgical materials, everything in the clinic is specially designed for the little ones. While children await their turn for treatment, the playroom helps them to relax. The TV in the treatment room allows children to watch cartoons while the dentist works.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Chief physician Hanifi Sarıçiçek said they initiated this project, because they could not spare enough time for their patients as their clinic is crowded at all times. Sarıçiçek said people did not make appointments as frequent as they should have in the past. "We used to treat adults and children in the same facility and this would lead to children fearing dentists," he added.

"In their own world, children are afraid of dentists. To overcome this, they watch educational and entertaining cartoons while receiving treatment. As our personnel wears colorful masks and children are provided with scrubs featuring their favorite cartoon characters, treating them becomes easier," said Sarıçiçek. He said children forget their pain in a way since they fix their eyes on the TV screen. "If you take a little tour around the clinic, you will see that children are treated here happily without crying," Sarıçiçek added.

The clinic which has a capacity to treat 300 to 400 patients a day. Gökhan Darılmaz, secretary general of Konya Public Hospitals Association, underscored that the clinic is a first in Turkey. Ahmet Güler who brought his son to the clinic, said, "My son used to be afraid of the places I took him for dental treatment. We had to persuade him to go see a dentist. However, the cartoons at this clinic calmed my son. This clinic makes parents' work much easier."