Pointing out that the percentage of people seeking help for dental issues was abysmally low, Dr Dhable said it needed to be improved to at least 15 per cent.
(Representational Photo: Getty Images)
Barely six to seven per cent of India’s population seeks the help of a dentist when faced with any dental problem, Dr Ashok Dhable, the Secretary General of the Indian Dental Association (IDA), said.
Pointing out that the percentage of people seeking help for dental issues was abysmally low, Dr Dhable said it needed to be improved to at least 15 per cent.
Dr Dhable, who was speaking at the inaugural programme of the 39th state conference of the IDA at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) here on Friday, said, “Children should be taught the need for proper dental care at an early age. Therefore, there is the need for a national school oral health programme”.
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Dr Dibyendu Mazumdar, President of the Dental Council of India (DCI), who was the chief guest at the event, said there were 370 dental colleges in India which had more than three lakh dental surgeons.
He stressed the need for a national task force for proper implementation of the dental curriculum. He congratulated SOA for the fine performance of the Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS), the university’s faculty of dental sciences, as it had been ranked 9th in the country by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).
The programme was presided over by SOA Vice Chancellor Prof Pradipta Kumar Nanda who outlined the various research work being undertaken by the university.
The gathering was also addressed by Prof Neeta Mohanty, Dean of IDS and President of IDA Kalinga, Dr Michael John, President of IDA Odisha, Dr Sanjeeb Kumar Pradhan, Secretary of IDA Kalinga and Dr Subash Chandra Nayak, Secretary of IDA Odisha. Dr Abhilash Mohapatra, Organising Chairman and Dr Anurag Satpathy, Scientific Chairman for the programme, also spoke on the occasion.
Dr P K Nanda was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award on the occasion while Dr Deepak Kumar Majhi was chosen as the best Secretary of the local branch. Dr Ipsita Mohanty, Organising Secretary of the event, proposed a vote of thanks.
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