DHARWAD: Dental education in the country is at crossroads, Anil Kohli, president of Dental Council of India, has said.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Multi-System Implant Training Programme "Implant Workshop-2006" organised by the SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital, Dharwad, here on Thursday.

"While on the one hand we have premier dental institutions which are providing quality education, on the other hand we have dental colleges that are similar to primary schools when it comes infrastructure and teaching faculty," Dr. Kohli remarked.

Although the Dental Council of India was making efforts to ensure quality dental education by conducting periodic inspections and recommending for appropriate action from the respective Governments, still things were not moving at the required speed, he said.

Dr. Kohli said the Dental Council of India would not allow any college to offer a postgraduate course in dentistry to students with only one reader in the faculty. He vowed not to bow down to political pressure and vested interests in this regard. He stressed the need for the Governments to act on the recommendations of the Dental Council.

Referring to the high cost of dental implants, Dr. Kohli said implant dentistry was not for the common man. But the Dental Council would make efforts to remove the heavy burden of tax on the implants that had to be imported, he said.

Dr. Kohli lauded the college for bringing together four different specialities on the same platform through the "Implant Workshop".

He said learning the art of implants required methodical training.

Welcoming the guests, C. Bhaskar Rao, organising chairman of the workshop and college principal, traced the growth of oral implantology.

In the wake of implantology gaining popularity in the country, the college had organised the multi-system implant training programme, he said.

Presiding over the function, K. Jinendra Prasad, secretary of SDM Education Society, said such programmes provided an opportunity for dentists to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

Members of Dental Council of India R.S. Pathania and Rajinder Singh, K.V.V. Prasad, Ravindra and Y.S. Rai were present. Organising secretary Srinath Thakur proposed a vote of thanks.

As many as 240 dentists from across the country are participating in the three-day workshop.

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