Demand for state govt dental college gains momentum

Dehradun: The lack of a govt dental college in Uttarakhand, even after 24 years of state formation, has sparked concerns among residents, particularly those advocating for more accessible education for economically disadvantaged students aspiring to study dentistry.
While officials of medical education department said they are assessing its feasibility, they said there is currently a surplus of dental graduates in the state, with no vacancies in govt hospitals or medical colleges to accommodate them.
“There is no shortage of dentists in our state at present, but we are looking into the feasibility of establishing a govt dental college,” said Dr Ashutosh Sayana, director of Uttarakhand medical education department. He added, “For those interested in pursuing dentistry, admission under state quota is available in private colleges at a subsidised fee.”
Currently, Uttarakhand has only private dental colleges, which residents say are prohibitively expensive and offer limited seats. They expressed frustration that states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, formed in the same year as Uttarakhand in 2000, have govt dental colleges. “Even with the state quota, there are only a few seats available, and fees in private colleges are still much higher than those in govt institutions. This makes it challenging for students from economically weaker families who aspire to pursue dentistry, given the lack of a govt BDS/MDS college,” said Dr Deepak Narang, a resident of Bhimtal in Nainital.
Qualified dentists familiar with the public sector in Uttarakhand argue that public hospitals need to upgrade their dentistry units to bridge the gap between supply and demand. “The demand for dentists in govt sector is minimal because infrastructure is not advanced enough to handle complex dental issues. We need modern equipment and technology in public hospitals,” said Dr Aanchal Sharma, a dentist.