Public Health Dentistry as a Profession in India Re - view Chandrashekar Janakiram  PhD MS MDS DNB  Bioethics I Epidemiology Affiliations -- ARHA I NGO I Bangalore Professor I Amrita School of Dentistry I Cochin

Disclaimer ! Some of the view expressed are from personal communications Partly from the study findings Any information are expressed here are purely coincidental in conjunction with others.

Dental Public Health is that form of dental practice that serves the community as a patient rather than the individual

One might wonder ! Why ….. Dental Public Health or Public Health Dentistry Why Not ? Public Health Paediatrics Public Health Ophthalmology Mental Public Health Public Health Pulmonology or Public Health Gynaecology so on Any body has an answer ?

Where it stands ? Medicine Dentistry Public Health Public Health Dentistry It is super speciality – highly ! highly ! focused area Dentistry + Public Health

Pandemic nature of Oral diseases …1940s Dental Caries Dental Fluorosis Social and economic conquences ----- Con-concurrent prevalence of Non Communicable diseases in West compounded the problem !

Community Based techniques…….

Community based techniques…… Sugar policy ( from Diabetes or NCD) Extensive usage of the ICE School based oral disease interventions

Journey,,,,,,, Started from general dentist and even non dentist … with some knowledge or special training in public health Arise -- out of need to combat community oral diseases Off course ! Public health is everybody’s domain !

Journey,,,,,,, With special training, borrowed from the public health related to Dentistry Dental public health focus on : Assurance, Advocacy and Policy implications Public health dentistry is more of Western Concepts adopted in India

Journey….. India Last domain or speciality to be developed Arise -- due to lack of knowledge or awareness of dental public health Initial development was due to lack of numbers (Manpower)

Journey….. India Now numbers growing with tentacles of centres of education in dental public health is spreading across the country 75 dental colleges - 220 MDS seats It has grown enormously {peak growth} in last decade Reaching the transition stage -- Pink component is more !!!

We have passed through different identities .. Preventive and Social Dentistry Preventive and Community Dentistry Community Dentistry Public Health Dentistry

Public health dentistry is a profession

Profession has……..

Profession as Public Health Dentistry Education – MDS ,,, DNB ? ,,,, PhD Goals -- Public health dentists promote oral health by: assessing the oral health needs of the community developing and implementing oral health policy providing programs and services that address oral health issues Vision –Equitable oral health care for Indian population Skills – public health administration, research methodology, the prevention and control of oral diseases, and the delivery and financing of oral health care.

We have unique Post Graduation degree in Master of Dental Surgery in Public Health Dentistry

Value creations in Public Health Dentistry Age of retirement will be raised to 70 years !!! MDS Periodontia can not teach Public Health Dentistry – DCI 2014

Value proportions MDS Course After MDS

Profession as Public Health Dentistry Career options Teaching – Dental schools Assistant Professor- Reader – Professor – HoD- Principal Research institutions ?? Public health Practice Government ? ? NGOs - Health care Program Managers Where are other jobs ?

Some of Findings from Study Career Satisfaction of Public Health Dentist from India Online survey Approached 560 Ongoing Interim analysis 153 responses

Reasons for choosing public health dentistry as a career

Accomplishment as public health dentist

Is course correction required in MDS

How would you envision in another ten years practice of public health dentistry

Thought of practicing public health dentistry other teaching ..

What aspects of training in public health dentistry needs to be amended

Recognition as Public health dentist

What makes career in Public Health Dentistry ?

Public Health Dentistry is a profession –Hard FACTS Is subject born out necessity to user – patient or community needs Does public health dentistry has been practiced or it is dependent on institution support Honest answer ? Yes and No or confused It has become more of Teaching profession rather than practice …. Teaching needs latest inputs from the public health practice,,,

Value creations are less or we have not explored its full potentiality Public Health Dentistry is a profession –Hard FACTS - Introspection Value creations are less or we have not explored its full potentiality Is the profession is making the difference in oral health care ? Is the profession is creating more opportunities ? Is the career in the profession is satisfied ? Is profession has become for personal achievement

Concluding ….. Success of the public health dentistry as profession has been well established in other countries The profession is making in difference oral health care of those populations We have explore the full potentiality of the Public health profession

We need to go further ahead with…….