With an aim to familiarize dental professionals with digital dentistry and train the dentists in this evolving newer technology, three-day Digital Dental International Conference 2016 was held for the first time in India at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad recently.
The conference, hosted by the Digital Dental International Asian Society & Digital Dentistry Europe was inaugurated by ESL Narasimhan, governor of Telangana & Andhra Pradesh.
Dr Dibyendu Mazumder, president, Dental Council of India (DCI); DCI EC members Dr Debashis Banerjee, Dr SK Katharia & Dr Revathi; Dr G. Pramod Kumar, organising president & Dr A Srikanth, organising secretary, were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion Narasimhan said, dental care has not kept pace with the developments in technology as has been with the various other faculties. Cost of bringing new technology and return on investment are issue to ponder too. But digital dentistry brings in improved efficiency, lesser treatment time and precision. However the pitfall with the advent of new technology is the availability of trained personnel to handle it, often in government hospitals advance technology is available but there are no trained personnel to man it. Also often the new technology is confined to the elite class, who can afford and may even go abroad to get treated, but it is the middle class and the common man who need the advanced treatments, so it should be accessible to them and your efforts should be focused to satisfy them. Also dentists should follow a code of conduct, as a layman I am unaware of different dental specialties and approach the nearest dentist, but if the patient's ailment is not his domain the dentist should refer him to the right specialist and not continue with the treatment, that gives lot of confidence to patients.
Dr Dibyendu Mazumder said, Hyderabad is known for its digital initiatives and glad to see the city hosting the first digital dental conference. This conference has imparted good knowledge to students in digital dentistry. The dental scenario has changed a lot over the years, the earlier diagnosis was done by asking questions to the patient, but now technology aids in diagnosing. As treatment protocols change the treatment improves, he said.
Since 2011 the Dental Council of India (DCI) has been able to curb the mushrooming of dental colleges in the country, the count was 292 in 2011 and 309 now, most of the colleges are involved in court cases. However the best part of it is that the infrastructure and faculty in the dental colleges of Telangana and AP is found to be up to the mark. DCI's main function is to ensure proper education for students. We have also made it mandatory for dental colleges to be attached to medical colleges. Especially for PG students the attachment is very critical, he said.
Dentistry is taking rapid strides in treatment quality and precision with the advent of digital technology and virtual designing, while gradually overlapping the conventional dentistry. The newer technology has improved the quality and consistency of the treatment outcomes. The Digital Dental International Conference aims to familiarize this evolving newer technology to dental professionals and train the dentists in the advances.
Over 2500 delegates from all parts of the country and 20 delegates from abroad attended the conference. Some of the renowned faculty at the conference were Prof. Atef Shaker Said, Jordan university; Florin Cofar, Romania; Nakul Rathe from USA; Rajiv Verma, Mumbai; Ajay Parihar from Indore; Shivshankar from Bangalore; Sarah Qadeer from Bangkok; Simta Pimple from Singapore and Prafulla Tomati president elect Indian Prosthodontic Society.
Digital dentistry involves using computer designing with the help of highly evolved softwares to perform dental treatments and create dental prosthesis. This digital technology encompasses all aspects of dental care like record keeping, documentation, diagnosis, treatment planning, prosthesis fabrication, surgical planning and guidance. Some of the latest technology in the field include 3D Scanning, Cone beam CT, MRI, CAD CAM fabrication, 3D printing, Metal printing, Computer assisted Guided surgery, Robotic surgery etc.
Due to it is growing popularity dental practitioner are fast adopting the technology and the patients are benefitted by the improved consistence, quality and cost effective treatments, says Dr A Srikanth, organising secretary.