Dental college interns face material shortage

India: Dental college interns are losing out on months of practice due to a recurring shortage of dental materials like composite and silver, according to an article published by the Free Press Journal.

Interning students at the Government Dental College (GDC) in Mumbai complained that the hospital lacks the basic dental material which directly impacts their studies, as they struggle to perform routine procedures.

Interns pool money to procure materials

“Practical and patient-centric procedures are the centre of dental internships. When dental material is not available at the college then the continuity of both, our practice and our treatment suffer,” said one of the students who spoke to the Free Press Journal.

“If the material falls short in a certain department, the students posted there, contribute Rupees 200-500, to procure the material required for that week,” said the interning student.  “Sometimes the faculty members pay too,” he added.

Bearing the brunt of patient frustration amid shortage

Undergraduates from other dental colleges are known to pursue a one-year internship at GDC to take advantage of its high patient influx, which is common in government institutes. 

The lack of dental materials, however, has defeated the purpose of such undertaking. Instead the interns are bearing the brunt of frustration from patients. Root canal patients, for example, have a waiting period of nearly six months.

“All I do here is turn root canal patients away to other hospitals,” said a new intern at the college.

In the meantime, the college has almost reduced its intake for certain procedures by 50%. 

“By the time our patients come back, their teeth are infected, ultimately leading to extraction. It’s them who are suffering the most in the picture,” said a senior medical intern.

Where there’s a will

Despite the shortage, these interns will be allowed to set up their clinics upon completing their BDS, although most of them will further their studies through a Master’s programme.

“Despite the shortcomings of my internship, I believe I can still start my own practice and even successfully perform surgeries like a root canal. I think those who really wanted to learn here found their way to go about it,” said last year’s intern.

Solution in progress

According to Dr Vivek Pakhmode, the Dental Joint Director of GDC, such issues take time to settle. Meanwhile, the school’s administration is already in contact with the relevant authorities to take follow-up action.

“All authorities from the college are aware of this issue. It seems to be a procedural difficulty and members from the dean’s office and I have been speaking to various facets of the Ministry to find a solution,” the Joint Director said.