Street Dentistry Thriving In Pakistan
Thousands of unqualified, unregistered dentists are providing dental care on the streets of Pakistan.
According to recent reports from Pakistan, there are more than 13,000 illegal dentists working on the streets, offering dental care to people who cannot afford to see a regular dentist. Research shows that 78 per cent of Pakistanis do not have access to a dentist and many now rely on on-street dental clinics for treatment.
Nooruddin is one of thousands operating roadside dental clinics; for the last 20 years, he has provided basic dental treatments from the pavement using equipment including a rusty drill and blunt tools.
A recent report published in The Lancet revealed that the majority of Pakistanis cannot afford to pay for dental care because there is no state healthcare service or health insurance system; spending on health is also very low, with just 4% of the Government’s annual budget devoted to healthcare.
The Pakistan Dental Association admits that there are illegal, unqualified ‘dentists’ operating on the streets of almost every major city in the country, but the reality is that a large number of people cannot afford to see a dentist and this means that they are forced to see untrained street dentists. Nooruddin said that qualified dentists are suitable only for the “rich and fashionable” and referred to himself as a “poor man’s doctor.”
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