With an aim to ensure access to high-end diagnostic services for scores of people who need them, Scandent, a leading innovation-driven dental and ENT imaging solutions provider in Mumbai, is planning to set up 100 micro imaging centres in parts of the country over one and half years.
The process of setting up the micro imaging centres will start in October, 2017. The centres that will come up at hospitals, dental colleges and areas lacking quality medical imaging services will initially offer 2D dental and ENT imaging services. If demand for high end diagnostic services increases, the centres will start offering 3D Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanning services. CBCT scanning has several advantages over conventional imaging of head and neck like routine X-rays, MRI and CT scan. CBCT X-rays create 3-D images of one's teeth, soft tissues, nerve pathways and bone, using a single scan which allow for more precise treatment planning. It’s generally less expensive than a CT scan and uses lower dose of radiation than the CT scan. It takes just 15 seconds for a scan of the mouth or the specific area, said Dr Gautam Deshpande, managing director of Scandent.
CBCT imaging is extremely useful in complex cases such as surgical planning for impacted teeth, diagnosing TMJ or other oral disorders, dental implant placement, reconstructive surgery planning, evaluation of the jaw, sinus cavities, nerves, and nasal cavity, he said, adding, “We are one of the pioneers of CBCT technology in India and is also the largest independent 3D CBCT scan service in the country.”
Started in 2012, Scandent has 11 centres in Mumbai offering distortion-free 3D and 2D dental and ENT imagery using CBCT technology.
Since inception the company has been focusing on increasing the penetration of 3D CBCT scan service in the country by educating dentists, maxillofacial surgeons, ENT surgeons on the benefits of this high-end technology.
Besides this, the company with 22 staff including 7 radiologists is also planning to foray into hospital sector and is in process of identifying a 30 bed hospital in the financial capital of the country and upgrade and maintain it to cater to needs of local populace.