Reasons for starting Community Dental Center
Indian Dental Association (IDA) as guardian for national oral health and committed
to dental excellence were per force to start Community Dental Center as oral diseases
are a significant public health menace in India having a substantial impact on the
quality of life which in turn affects the daily performance and general life satisfaction.
There is a vast difference in health status including the oral health between urban
and rural population of India and in other developing countries.
India has a limited access to oral health care services, as a result teeth are often
left untreated or are extracted because of pain or discomfort. The growing incidence
of some chronic diseases like diabetes can further have a negative impact on oral
health. It is sad that oral health education and indeed even emergency dentistry
are low on the list of priorities when it comes to health care in India.
There are approximately 300 dental colleges in India, and annually 25,000 graduates
pass out including 5000 specialists. Moreover, as per the latest statistics, there
is a concentration of only 10% of dentists where approximately 70% of the Indian
population resides (rural areas) and 90% of concentration of dental professionals
where only 30% of population resides (urban areas).
This was the reason that IDA started Community Dental Centers for developing an
efficient oral health care delivery mechanism to address the oral health needs of
under served Indians.