Dentistry Regulation in India & Questions


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One of the reasons for the excellent standard of dental care available in India is the rigid regulation of dentistry. Throughout the country dental care is regulated by the Dental Council of India (DCI). This organisation is fully sanctioned – and mostly funded – by the government of India, receiving the rest of its revenue from the State Dental Councils, when financing necessary inspections and other such endeavours. Consequently its rules and regulations are legally binding, which means all clinics and dentists under its wing are extremely vigorous to uphold the standards, as failure to do so can result in more than a simple disqualification or discrediting. Primarily the DCI enforces the Dentists Act of 1948, but also amendments to this and any other more specific regulations (to certain areas of dentistry, for example). The DCI makes sure there is a uniform standard which all legally practising dentists in India must adhere to.

Qualifications of Dentists in India

The DCI makes sure all qualified dentists have undergone four years of study, and then a final year of internship, before awarding the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree (B.D.S.). Consequently any practising dentist in India must hold this degree, and you should easily be able to find out if they do. Make sure you verify this against the records of the DCI, who are easy to contact. If you are undergoing a specialist procedure, be sure that you try to find out whether or not the dentist has an additional qualification in this procedure, as he or she may well do, likely again from the DCI. It is not to say that the dentist cannot perform such a treatment to the same level without such a qualification, but you may wish to seek one nonetheless for complete peace of mind. Always double-check when you are researching the credentials of dentists in India.


Accreditation of Dental Practices in India

Unlike with dentist qualifications, the DCI does not accredit practices, relying rather more on the quality of the individual dentist to ensure overall excellence. However most quality dental practices in India will have sought accreditation, and typically this will come from a foreign body, such as those mentioned in the introduction to this guide. Furthermore some clinics may have accreditation from the International Organisation for Standardisation under ISO 9001, a quality management standard. It is wise to find out if this is the case. Typically any practice with such accreditation will avidly try to demonstrate this, but you should still ask, and in all cases you should double-check against the particular standards board. Again, if you cannot find or prove such accreditation, you should be wary with the clinic and it is probably wise and prudent to steer clear, though it is not to absolutely dismiss the merits of the practice.

Questions to ask the Dentist in India for Dental Implants

Although once you have confirmed the accreditation of the practice and qualifications of the dentist you should be fairly well convinced of a quality and reliable procedure, you still should ask other questions in order to piece together as complete a picture as possible of the treatment and those carrying it out. The main thing is here to attain peace of mind so you have few second thoughts when going into this treatment. Generally, practices and dentists in India will speak English, but on the off chance that they do not, you should still ask such questions, through an interpreter or through your medical tourism provider. The only thing you can really do before making a decision on having treatment is gather as much information as is possible.

  • Who is my dentist? What qualifications does the dentist have? Is he or she registered with the DCI and does he or she possess the Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree (B.D.S.)? (this is a minimum, so be attentive).
  • Does the dentist have any additional qualifications? What are they and where from?
  • Which board(s) has/have accredited the practice? Where can I verify this? (if they do not know where you can verify this information, you will have to find out yourself from the board)
  • Will the dentist and the rest of the team who are performing this procedure speak English? If not, do you provide an interpreter? (if not you may have to arrange one for yourself, or find one via the medical tourism provider)
  • How many times have you carried out this procedure? What is the success rate, and what are the possibilities of infection or complications? (it may be wise to contrast these statistics with ones you can get from your UK dentist)
  • What can I expect in the way of post-operative care? What are the rates of post-operative infection? (it is particularly important that you find out this if you are having dental implants in India)
  • How long should I remain in India for after the treatment? What happens if I return home and experience complications? Will you establish contact with my UK dentist? (make sure you work out a plan of action, between the Indian and UK dentist)
  • What check-ups will I need to arrange with my UK dentist once I do return home?
  • What sensations am I likely to feel after the treatment? How long will these effects last for?
  • What are the side-effects? What are the risks? How likely are these to occur?
  • Do you offer immediate function/loading for dental implants?
  • When will I need to come back for my second treatment? (if you are seeking dental implants and they specify a time less than 6 months, you must interrogate them about the success rate again, and take extensive notes that you can relate to your UK dentist; similarly you should ask for as much information about their immediate loading success and procedure as possible)
  • How much will the treatment cost? Does that include the cost of dentures/crowns?
  • If I require additional treatment for any reason, what will the cost be and who will pay?
  • How do I make sure communication is maintained between me and the practice and dentist?
  • What insurance can you offer me?
  • What systems do you have in place should I not be satisfied with my treatment?
  • When will I be able to notice the results after treatment?

Once you have what you consider enough information – remember this is mostly for your own satisfaction – you can relate the responses to the UK dentist, and also check the qualifications and accreditations. Your UK dentist will be able to give you good advice on anything you are unsure about. Be wary of any responses that you feel to be evasive, for these may indicate a potentially unsound clinic. Nonetheless also consider that you may not be able to get all the information you want from the phone and you may have to partially rely on your research.

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