India quarrels over dental schools

HONG KONG/LEIPZIG, Germany: A technical committee has been set up by the Indian Ministry of Health to investigate the decision by the Dental Council of India (DCI) to refuse giving new dental colleges permission to start undergraduade courses this year. The application of over 40 new dental colleges, most of them private, were rejected by the DCI last month, according to a report in the newspaper Times of India. In addition, the registration of 42 already existing schools has not been re-newed.

Dental education in India has grown significantly in recent years and the country now ranks first in the world in having the highest number of dental schools. Last year, the Ministry of Health gave approval to a record number of new colleges which has raised concern for the future employment of dental graduates. Currently, the country has at least 280 dental institutions, that produce between 15,000 and 20,000 Bachelor of Dental Surgery graduates every year.

The DCI, which was set up to observe and maintain educational standards in dentistry, has justified its decision to disapprove applications due to claims for most colleges lacking enough faculty or clinical matter to teach students on. They also said that India does not require new dental schools. "There is hardly any employment opportunity for dentists in India,” DCI chief Dr Anul Kohli told the Times of India. “We must not open new dental colleges anymore but accreditate the old ones under three categories — doing well, can improve and bad. Colleges under the last category should be shut down."

Dr Kohli added that the last date for considering an application for approval is 15 July which would give colleges time to implement changes and get a clearance.