Introspecting Dentistry in India 2015 | Dr. Anil Arora

Globalising Local Dentistry

What do you do when there is such a burgeoning population of young Dentists growing at a pace of approx. 20000 new Dentists every year???

Think out of the Box!

With most new Dentists trying to get a foothold in towns and cities, the competition is getting intense! Coupled with mushrooming of Chain of Dental Clinics pan India, the solo Dentist feels threatened. Much as is happening in Medical Path Labs and Imaging Centres where such chains have hogged the limelight and sidelined single labs and radiology centres.

Dentistry globally has seen probably the largest number of advancements in the past decade – every year brings new technologies – be it Implants, Lasers, CAD/CAM, Digital Imaging, Rotary Endodontics, Lab technology, digital impressioning…..the list is endless. Futuristic Exhibitions like the Famdent Show that happens annually in several cities brings Dentists closer to the global technologies.

2015 too saw its share of innovations, advancements and challenges in India.  

One of the biggest factors in driving more patients to seek oral health is the increased awareness – be it due to social media, digital & print marketing, the high profile advertising  and hype & hoopla created by toothpaste manufacturing companies (BTW, isn’t it ironical that 80% of brushing efficiency depends on HOW you brush & not by WHAT toothpaste you use!). 

This in turn has led to a mushrooming of numerous corporate Dental chain of clinics. Like every business, these chains have also brought about their share of controversies, extreme reactions from Dentists and the wrath of Dental Council for unethical practices and marketing gimmicks. There is no doubt that these clinics are at an advantage as they can afford huge marketing budgets and offer gimmicks like free consultation, x rays, etc. On the flip side, these clinics are responsible for creating large number of job  opportunities for Dentists and ancillary staff – at attractive packages, increased oral care awareness in the general population thereby benefitting the profession indirectly, improving SOPs and giving structure to an unstructured profession.

One of the biggest offshoots of all this has been the spiraling demand for Dental Tourism in India. India is in an enviable position to promote Dental Tourism for following reasons:

1.     The large number of qualified English speaking Dentists

2.     Strategic location with boundless Tourism spots

3.     Recently introduced Visa on arrival for 40+ countries

4.     Indian Dentistry keeping abreast with latest technology

5.     COST – by far the biggest factor. Dentistry in India is one of the cheapest in the world

6.     A widely spread network of NRIs that gets their Dentistry done in India

7.     World class clinics with all modern amenities

8.     Robust Continuing Education Programmes – our company, Famdent, also provides free Workshops for Dentists all over India in collaboration with leading pharma companies.

With the economy looking up, 2016 promises to be a landmark year for the Dental profession – for all of the reasons cited above.

Let’s take the lead to encourage new Dentists into innovating, improving their skillsets to tackle the tsunami of Dental Tourism that is sure to hit India with a double digit growth in 2016 and not get disheartened by competition. Its part of life – after all even the local kirana stores have to deal with BigBasket!

The above article has been authored by DR. ANIL ARORA, CEO, FAMDENT.

DR. ANIL ARORA, CEO, FAMDENT.

DR. ANIL ARORA, CEO, FAMDENT.

About Dr. Anil Arora:

Dr. Anil Arora is a post graduate Dentist practicing in Mumbai since 1981. He is one of India’s leading Dentist running a multi disciplinary clinic with 5 operatories, 6 Dentists and equipped with latest equipment for a modern practice. In 2000 he pioneered India’s first Clinical Dentistry publication FAMDENT which was a runaway success. This continues to be India’s No. 1 dental publication to date. Buoyed by the immense fraternity support,, he started the FAMDENT SHOW in Mumbai in 2005. This was a platform for a Clinical Dental Exhibition & Conference. Again this was met with a huge success and now the Famdent Show is held in 3 cities every year. A UK concept of Excellence in Dentistry Awards was conceived in 2013. FAMDENT Excellence in Dentistry Awards are now considered the OSCARS OF DENTISTRY. Dr. Arora continues to innovate and support the Dental profession. His vision is to help upgrade Dentistry pan India to uplift the image on par with International Standards.

About the Author

Sachin Murdeshwar
Sachin Murdeshwar is a Sr.Journalist and Columnist in several Mainline Newspapers and Portals.He is an ardent traveller and likes to explore destinations to the core.