Hyderabad: The All-India Dental Students and Surgeons’ Association (AIDSA) has demanded the State government to have a dedicated department of dentistry, as per the NMC guidelines, which is five posts for every hundred seats.

AIDSA president Dr Md Manzoor Ahmed has urged the government to take steps for appointing qualified dental professionals in all government medical colleges of Telangana. This comes in line with the Gazette of India notifications dated July 3, 2015 and March 10, 2017, and the staffing norms mandated under the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines. As per the guidelines, every medical college with an intake of 100 MBBS students must have a dedicated department of dentistry with the minimum staff, including one post each of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, junior resident and four dental technicians.

He said for colleges with a higher intake of 250 MBBS students, the number of dental faculty and support staff should be proportionally increased to maintain quality education and services. Currently, Telangana has 38 government medical colleges. The AIDSA demanded that all the institutions establish fully functional dental units as per the NMC and Gazette norms. This will not only ensure compliance with national standards, but also significantly enhance inter-disciplinary healthcare education, he said. Integration of dental departments in medical colleges was essential for providing comprehensive training to future doctors, equipping them with knowledge to identify and refer to oral health issues effectively.

Such departments can cater to the oral healthcare needs of the local population, especially in rural and underserved areas, thereby contributing to vision of equitable and accessible healthcare for all.