Wisdom Teeth

SINCE AN organisational structure is pivotal to how certain activities are dele­gated towards achieving an institute’s goal, therefore Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) outlines an employee’s role and vari­ous responsibilities within the institute. Ours is a standalone dental institute with tertiary care facilities under the NCT of Delhi that caters to the popula­tion of not only Delhi and NCR but also the neighbouring states. This institute is affiliated to the prestigious University of Delhi and has a state-of-the-art infra­structure comprising twin buildings housing top-class facilities in dental sci­ences to aid in effective education, clini­cal services and research. A total of nine departments imparting outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate train­ing constitute the mainstay of MAIDS.

Our institute thrives on scientific expertise which underlies its dedica­tion to the field of education and high-quality oral healthcare. MAIDS stands as an academic entity in recognised areas of top-notch research achieve­ment, where pioneering solutions are devised to address the challenges for the patients and community at large. With a strategic approach and empow­ered leadership, the institute pursues an innovative strategy.

MAIDS, being a pioneer among its contemporaries, has propounded im­pactful innovative solutions. Mobile dental van project under the National Health Mission (NHM), National Re­source Centre for Oral Health and the Tobacco Cessation Centre under the National Oral Health Programme, Min­istry of Health and Family Welfare, the Department of Science and Technology (DST)-Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure and Nodal Centre for Technology & Innovation in Dentistry for DST, the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative for indigenous implant project are some of the stellar initiatives of this institute that have illuminated its role as a pioneer in oral healthcare services. Additionally, the translational research agenda is high on focus for societal benefits at large.

The centralised location of this in­stitute will ensure enhanced access to essential facilities and resources, con­sequently strengthening our academ­ics by facilitating impactful collabora­tions and significant breakthroughs. A hardworking team of dedicated profes­sionals relentlessly tries to achieve the academic endeavours of this institute.

Assessments are done to check the degree to which the students are meeting the learning objectives. Instructional strategies are chosen to foster student learning towards meet­ing the objectives.

Over the years, MAIDS has carved a niche in the arena of oral healthcare providers. Long hauls of interminable work, periodical assessment and the in­domitable will of our staff have engen­dered its supremacy in the field of educa­tion, research and healthcare. As we all know productivity can neither happen by chance nor can it be attained through luck. The commitment of MAIDS to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort have yielded glory.

Education is the process of facilitat­ing learning or the acquisition of knowl­edge, skills, values and personal develop­ment. A fundamental purpose of dental education is to develop health profes­sionals who will maintain and improve the oral health status of individuals and populations. So, MAIDS evaluates fu­ture directions for dental education to examine the status of oral health in the country, and the ramifications for dental education in both the short and the long term. Our institute address issues that will help elevate the future practitioner’s understanding of challenges related to dentistry and healthcare.

Oral health is an essential compo­nent of overall health. Therefore, one cannot envision holistic care without good oral health. The expanding scope of dentistry in the domain of health and holistic care, systems and applied research, cancer, genomics and im­munotherapy, etc, has huge potential to be explored in the sphere of educa­tion. The ever-changing dynamics of diseases are a propeller for our insti­tute to contribute effectively in the field of public health, data analytics, clinical research and leadership roles. Additionally, dental professionals have been playing pivotal roles in the areas of disaster management and forensics.

Lately, simulation technology and virtual mode of learning have opened up the doors for more experiential learn­ing for students. In addition to that, the changing dynamics of the roles of den­tists in every field have paved the way for effective ways to adapt dental education accordingly. MAIDS is enthusiastically seizing the opportunity to establish it­self as a remarkable and distinctive hub for life sciences research and education within the realm of dentistry. As a conse­quence, MAIDS has bolstered its stature in the field of education and clinched its position as a stalwart.

DENTAL EDUCATION is now at a crossroads. During the last 150 years, it has evolved from a short prelude to apprenticeship into a compre­hensive programme of professional edu­cation. Advances in science, technology, and public health have greatly improved oral health in India. However, both pre-clinical and clinical dental education have experienced challenges.

Dental schools tend to exist as ‘closed systems’, which results in slow growth. As a result, open organisational structures with flexibility, collabora­tion, consensus and communication are needed for dental institutes in India.

Every dental school should strive to uphold the values that guarantee the credibility of dentistry as a discipline rooted in scientific principles. This is not something that only the external agen­cies can accredit, rather the institutes themselves should be able to strike a balance between fulfilling the academic requirements that can be realistically achieved subsequently and meeting the demands of acquiring specialised skills in every sphere. Benchmarks must be in place for a variety of purposes, including thedesignandvalidationofprogrammes, examinations, andthereviewofstudents.

Oral health has, more often than not, been a neglected component of general health, and therefore lacks separate funding by the government to uplift the higher education institutions in dentistry for academics and research purposes. Despitethe contributionsfrom the corporate sector or the alumni, there is still a dearth of funding for oral health.

Most outcomes in dental institutes have individualised evaluations and lack team outcomes. Oral health cannot be used to fill in the voids of the existing healthcare systems. Dental institutes lack the opportunity to represent broad­er platforms of STEM (science, technol­ogy, engineering and maths) initiatives and also healthcare in the country.

Alignment of education systems to NEP 2020 and Industrial Revolution 4.0, which is a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), Web3, block­chain, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other tech­nologies, will have to come through to make our students ready for challenges and to contribute to the country’s devel­opment. We have to adapt our research to transforming biomedical concepts.

India has a high prevalence of oro-dental diseases and it is well established that oral diseases are a public health prob­lem, and have a great impact on systemic health. Poor oral health can cause poor aesthetics, affect mastication adversely, cause agonising pain and can lead to a loss of productivity due to the loss of man-hours. Dentistry as a whole requires to be publicly discussed as oral health literacy among patient populations, stakehold­ers and policymakers in India. Improve­ment of the determinants of oral health in the country can be attained by pro­viding comprehensive oral healthcare through synergistic, equitably distrib­uted general and oral health facilities, and coordination with related sectors in public or private. Aligning dentistry to artificial intelligence and big data for India is much needed due to its vast and diverse population.

While ample stress is laid on the overall well-being and systemic health, policymakers have to work at the grass­roots level to roll out the policies to up­lift oral health in India. We must ensure that oral health promotion, disease pre­vention and oral healthcare have a pres­ence in all health policy agendas set at local, state and national levels.

About The Author

Sangeeta Talwar

Sangeeta Talwar is Director Principal of Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi