Indian health care industry experiencing dynamic transformation owing to increased demand for quality health care, this also has been accelerated with increase in the standard of living, consequently, significance and prioritization to achieve esthetic and healthy smile boosted dental market. This boost gave rise to the demand for increase in the number of dental professionals, which led to the mushrooming of dental colleges in last decade.
Prior to 1966, all dental colleges in India were government aided, in that particular year; first private dental college was established. By 2010, there were 39 government dental colleges and 252 private dental colleges. Presently (2016) approximately 300 dental establishments with around 30,000 dental graduates hitting market, searching for their piece of pie. Ideally, we feel, the thought process behind explosively permitting newer dental institutes were to create a environment of competition for these institutes which in turn will compel them to raise the standard of education and give a greater access to underprivileged society.
But, the table turned the other way, as instead of competing with each other there became atmosphere of cooperation and unity. We are not the one to question/comment about drastic increase in the number of graduates, but certainly these huge pass outs are facing a problem of employment, so to make a bare sustainable employment prospects due to competition in practice and unavailability of job prospects which provoked them to attract patients by under charging resulted in the issue related with obsolete technique and quality.
These factors entirely reversed the motive of increasing dental institutes. But things do not end up here; now lack of satisfactory opportunities gave a negative impact to the young aspirants, which distanced them from this Nobel profession. Presently suffering has also started for the dental institutes, where there is depression and lack of motivation in existing professionals which started playing a detrimental role in context to their zest to learn, which reflected in their quality. Another aspect of change is the drastic reduction in the new aspirants, causing shrinkage in institutes’ profit margins, which is being propagated as losses, compromised the quality and the health of institutes. Due to shrinkage in their profit margins, accordingly, a well managed justification for curtailment in the budgetary allowance for the upgradation of profession and institute, limits the glory for the profession.
