History of dental education in India
Dr Rafiuddin Ahmed, also known as the Father of Dentistry in India, founded India’s first formal dental school in Calcutta, West Bengal, in 1920 ( Fig. 3.1 ). The college began with a one-year LDSc diploma, which was extended to two years in 1922 and four years in 1936–37 ( Table 3.1 ). Over the past few decades, the college has produced many notable figures in dentistry and oral surgery. Dr Ahmed was born in East Bengal in 1890 and was passionate about studying dentistry. He pursued his education in the United States and earned his dental (Doctor of Dental Surgery [DDS]) degree from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 1915. Dr Ahmed worked at the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children in Boston, Massachusetts, until 1918 before returning to India in 1919 to open a dental practice in Calcutta.
Padma Bhushan Dr Rafiuddin Ahmed (24 December 1890–9 February 1965) is known as the Father of Dentistry in India.
In 1920, Dr Ahmed founded the First Dental College of India, which was financed by starting the New York Soda Fountain in Calcutta. Dr Ahmed published the first Student’s Handbook on Operative Dentistry in 1928. Dr R. Ahmed was the first elected President of the India Dental Council, serving from 1954 to 1958.
Source: History of the Dental Council of India, Silver Jubilee 1948-73 Souvenir.
TABLE 3.1
Chronology of formal dental and orthodontic education in India
| 1920 | Dr R. Ahmed established the first formal dental college in India in 1920 at Calcutta, West Bengal. The college started with a one-year LDSc diploma. In 1922, the duration of the course was increased to two years. |
| 1933 | Bai Yamunabai L. Nair Hospital Dental College started in Bombay. In 1946, it was taken over by the Municipal Corporation of Bombay. In 1954, it was affiliated to Bombay University. |
| 1933 | De’Montmorency Dental College and Hospital, was established in Lahore. Regular BDS courses started at Punjab University in 1936. The first postgraduate course in dentistry started in 1945. Dr K. L. Shourie was among the first recipients of an MDS degree who eventually headed the Dental Council of India as President. |
| 1940 | CEM Dental College, Bombay. 1945: Affiliated to Bombay University. 1960: Became Government Dental College, Bombay. |
| 1943 | ‘Health Survey and Development Committee’ by the Government of India. Chairman Sir Joseph Bhore. Recommendations paved the way for enacting the Dentists Act of 1948 and forming the Dental Council of India. |
| 29 March 1948 | Dentists Act (XVI of 1948) received the assent of the President of India. |
| 12 April 1949 | The Government of India formed the Dental Council of India through a special notification. |
| 1953 | The first Indian Dentists Register was prepared and placed before the council. |
| 1957 | The first dental faculty in India was formed at the University of Bombay. |
| 1959 | The Dental Council of India laid down regulations and the syllabus for the Master’s degree courses. Universities were encouraged to establish post-graduate courses in seven specialities, including Orthodontia. |
| 1959/60 | MDS Orthodontia course started at Government Dental College and Nair Hospital, Mumbai. |
| 1960 | Government of India established minimum essential qualifications to appoint teaching staff for Master’s degree courses (MDS). |
| 1963 | UP state government sanctioned the start of PG courses at Lucknow Dental College. |
| 1964 | MDS Orthodontia started at Dental College and Hospital, King George’s Medical College, Lucknow University, Lucknow. |
| 1965 | The first formal Dental Council regulations containing the syllabus of Master’s degree courses were published. |
| 1965 | Indian Orthodontic Society started as a study group in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1963. It was formally established as the Indian Orthodontic Society on 5 October 1965, by seven orthodontists. |
| 1966 | MDS Orthodontia started in Bangalore. |
| 1967 | The Indian Orthodontic Society held its first conference in New Delhi. |
| 1969 | MDS Orthodontia started at Government Dental College, Trivandrum. |
| 1970 | MDS Orthodontia started at Government Dental College, Ahmedabad. |
| 1972 | MDS Orthodontia started at Manipal, the first non-government dental institute. |
| 1975 | MDS Orthodontia started at Government Dental College, Madras. |
| 1978 | MDS Orthodontia started at Government Dental College, Hyderabad. |
| 1985 | MDS Orthodontia started at Government Dental College, Nagpur. |
| 1983 | DCI course regulations for the Master’s programme were created. |
| 1986 | AIIMS New Delhi starts its first full-time three-year residency programme for a Masters in Orthodontics. |
| 1993 | Indian Orthodontic Society conducts the National Workshop on Postgraduate Orthodontic Education in Mumbai and recommends a higher caseload. |
| 1993 | The Dental Council of India passed a resolution (DE-1(SC)-93/2064 28.10.1993) for an MDS course duration of three years. |
| 1995 | With the signing of the World Federation of Orthodontics charter in San Francisco, United States, the Indian Orthodontic Society became a part of the World Federation of Orthodontics. |
| 1999 | Indian Orthodontic Society established the ‘Indian Board of Orthodontics’, the first such board in the field of dentistry in India and the third in the world. |
| 2006 | A national workshop was held at All India Institute of Medical Sciences to update the curriculum in all nine specialities of dentistry. |
| 2007 | Revised regulations for MDS course was published. |
| 2009 | The first South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) orthodontic conference was held in New Delhi organised by Prof. O.P. Kharbanda. |
| 2008, 2012 | The Dental Council of India released the revised regulations for MDS course amendments. |
| 2013 | Asian Pacific Orthodontic Conference was held in Delhi. |
| 2014 | National Oral Health Programme (NOHP) launched. NOHP is an initiative of the Ministry of Health, Government of India to strengthen the country’s public health facilities for accessible, affordable and quality oral health care delivery. Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences was designated the Centre of Excellence to implement NOHP. |
| 2014 | The first WHO collaborating Centre on Oral Health was established at the Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. |
| 2016 | The Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi became Cochrane Oral Health Global Alliance partner as the first partner not based in a primarily English-speaking country. |
| 2016 | 8 th World Implant Orthodontic Conference held in Goa in collaboration with 51 st Indian Orthodontic Conference. |
| 2017 | The first formal fellowship in India for Cleft Orthodontics was established at the Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi under the guidance of Prof. O. P. Kharbanda. |
| 2017 | The Government of India approved the creation of the first National Level Referral and Research Institute for Higher Dental Studies (NaRRIDS) at the Centre for Dental Education and Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. |
| 2023 | The National Dental Commission Bill, was introduced in Lok Sabha on 24 July 2023. The Bill repeals the Dentists Act of 1948. NDC constitutes (i) the National Dental Commission, (ii) the Dental Advisory Council and (iii) three autonomous boards for regulating dental education and standards of dentistry passed by Rajya Sabha on 8 August 2023. The new Act is called the National Dental Commission Act 2023. |
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