THE Durban University of Technology (DUT) has come to the aid of a Free State toddler who, after years, will now be able to smile like other children.

Six-year-old Riaan Terreblanche of Bethlehem has been living in the shadows, hiding from the prying eyes of the public.

This is because of a childhood medical treatment that left his nose completely burnt and disfigured.

The incident happened shortly after he was born. He was burnt by the continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) tube supplying oxygen to his lungs (a treatment that uses mild air pressure to keep airways open, especially in infants whose lungs have not yet fully developed).

The department of dental sciences at DUT pledged to create an artificial nose for the boy at a cost of R10000 as part of their community service initiative.

Until recently he was deemed too young for surgery.

The boy's father, Riaan Terreblanche Snr, could not hide his excitement at the prospect of his son getting a new nose.

"I'm over the moon," he said.

He thanked the Smile Foundation for helping his son.

The foundation's Free State coordinator, Lititia Jordaan, said they came to the aid of the child when they heard of his plight.

"We are happy that we can put a smile on his face."

DUT's dental technology lecturer and maxillofacial prosthesis specialist, Peter Furber, said: "A maxillofacial prosthesis will be manufactured for the child, who lost part of his nasal septum and the base of his nose."