Internships May Become Compulsory for Dental Students
The Dental Council of India has proposed a change in the current undergraduate dental programme, with the new course including a compulsory one-year internship, which would increase the length of the programme to five years.
The Dental Council of India has written to Union Health Ministry to ask them to consider extending the current degree programme. The proposal was revealed by Dr Dibyendu Mazumder, who was in Chennai to visit the Sri Ramachandra University.
Internships were introduced in 1992, but the scheme was scrapped in 2007 because the Dental Council believed that students were not taking it seriously and not making the most of the opportunity. However, Mazumder has stated that he believes the internship provides a very valuable experience for dental students, as the programme allows them to develop practical skills, as well as social and communication skills.
If the proposal is approved by the Union, dental students will be required to complete a year long clinical programme before they can graduate as a dentist. Mazumder also wants to encourage students to undertake at least three months work in rural areas during the year-long internship. Rural areas are underserved and access to dental services is very poor in some remote areas. Employing student dentists in rural health centres would help to improve access to dental care for people living in remote communities.
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