New project

Dental Hospital Launched in Bangaluru

Built alongside the dental college, it intends to provide practical exposure

The education group Dayananda Sagar Institutions has introduced a dental hospital to the existing Dayananda Sagar College of Dental Sciences in Bangaluru. This hospital block was inaugurated by Brig Dr Anil Kohli, President of the Dental Council of India. The hospital ensures that adequate practical experience and exposure is given to the students apart from theoretical knowledge. "The new facilities made available in the hospital will prove to be a reliable and rich source for qualified dentists," said Brig Dr Kohli in the inaugural speech.

"With supply of dentists increasing by the year, more jobs are needed to be created to provide good employment to the new batches of dentists coming out of all the colleges across the country. DCI is making all out efforts to ensure that the Government provides suitable environment for the development of colleges that can offer the growing breed of dentists in the country," he added.

Said Dr D Hemachandra Sagar, Chairman of Dayananda Sagar Institutions, "The rural folks are grossly under-served and missing out good dental care services. Till the time healthcare professionals are not willing to serve in rural areas this much talked about demand-supply mismatch would exist." He further continued, "There is a huge untapped demand, especially dentists in India's villages. Dispersal and movement is needed by dentists for the entire country to avail the benefits of the intellect that Indian education system has been producing in its colleges and universities." However, Brig Dr Kohli, opined, "India has around 280 dental colleges out of which 43 are in Karnataka. In fact, what we need is not more colleges, but to extend the reach of these colleges and make them accessible to more students." He added, "There is an immediate problem of the rising unemployment amongst dental doctors. The Dental Council has already mooted the idea to the Government of India to employ them under the National Rural Health Scheme (NRHS), so that dentistry services are available to that area, which requires the most."

Research reports say that the current dentist to patient ratio is 1:30,000.

EH News Bureau