Coimbatore is all set to witness its first ever Dental Lab Expo which is to be held at Coddissia on the 29th and 30th of April. This is the first time such a monumental conference is hosted in India with an aim to bring dental technicians from all over country under one roof. This will serve as platform dental technicians and dentists to interact and share their knowledge on the practice.
Dr.V.R.Thirumurthy, Conference Chairman and Vice Principal of Sri Ramakrishna Dental College while addressing the media shared that “There are lot of conferences conducted across India for various fields in dentistry. However, this is the only conference which is being exclusively conducted for dental technicians. All over Tamil Nadu there are 40 dental colleges out of that only handful of colleges offer courses for dental technicians. There is a huge gap between the dental doctors and the technicians available. For 100 dental doctors there are only 2 dental technicians available which is very alarming. The dental technician course is a 2 year diploma course and has a wide scope, but due to lack of colleges that offer it, the profession is dying. Despite of its crucial role in dentistry, it has been constantly ignored to an extent that many people do not even know about this profession. The colleges too are hesitant in introducing these courses as the cost for procuring the equipments are very high.
To make the situation even worse, the technological advancements, working environment and educational facilities being provided to the technicians all over globe are responsible for the widening gap between Indian technicians and the technicians over the world. To address this issue we are conducting this conference which will bring doctors and dental technicians under one roof as when they work collaboratively, the success rate is higher.
The expo will have 40 stalls displaying latest equipments. With more than 16 speakers and workshops are also planned to highlight the newer techniques that will enable the participating technician to advance standards within dental technology for the benefit of the oral healthcare of the nation."
Seconding him was Mr.Anwardeen Gani who has had 50 years of experience in dental technician field. He said "There is a lack of awareness regarding the field. It is a lucrative job and today, there is more scope for dental technicians is more than dental doctors. However, at present, the dental technicians work inside a close circle and they get very less exposure considering the advancement in technology. This expo will help to bridge that gap. The government too should take steps in increasing the placement opportunities for dental technicians."
The expo will be open on 29th and 30th of April with an expected participation of about 2000 members.