For most Pakistanis, dentists remain a myth

Estimates say 95% of population has untreated dental problems.

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has failed to even approach the oral health care services standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The country currently only has one dentist for every 200,000 people, while according to the WHO, Pakistan should have one dentist for every 20,000.

There are only 8,500 dentists nationwide who in theory at least, must treat various forms of dental disease afflicting some 95 per cent of the population. Meanwhile, there is currently no national public health plan on oral hygiene and dental care.

These views were shared by dental experts while talking to The Express Tribune during a symposium on “Restorative Dentistry: Bridging the gap for a promising future”, organised by the Islamabad Medical and Dental College on Saturday. Around 120 dental health experts from across the country attended the symposium and shared their expertise and opinions.

Islamabad Institute of Dental Education & Allied Sciences (IIDEAS) Project Director Dr Khursheed Ahmed told The Express Tribune that there are currently 13,000 registered dentists in Pakistan, and only 8,500 of them are actually working.

There has been a rapid increase in the number of medical and dental colleges in the country over the past decade and there are currently 38 dental colleges across the country — 11 public and 27 private. Every year, Pakistan produces around 3,000 new dentists from these colleges.

“The government spends Rs5 million on one dentist and in the private sector, one student pays around Rs600,000 per year,” he said.

Despite the huge government subsidy on the cost of education, there is still a huge shortage of doctors. One of the reasons behind this is that enrolment in dental colleges is dominated by women, but around 70 per cent of qualified female dentists chose not to practice after graduating.

“The government should get a bond signed by each student stating that after qualifying, they must provide their services in this field for at least five years,” he said, adding that dental departments at government hospitals are unable to properly treat patients due to the heavy patient load.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2012.