Today's Bangalore Mirror (April 11th 2008) had a news item which captured my attention. It was titled "End dental tourism to India, say UK docs". The news is based on a report by The British Dental Health Foundation, which has urged people in Britain not to travel abroad for dental treatment.  The foundation cited a report by a consumer advice group that says almost one in five medical tourists suffer problems after treatment. In the editorial of March issue of IDRR, I had highlighted the probable negative impacts of improperly managed dental tourism. We must go for radical steps to effectively brand India as a highly recommended dental tourism destination, by wiping away the bad remarks. Government must take steps to control dental clinics dedicated to treat foreigners. Quality assurance guidelines should be followed properly. It shouldn't be the high quality website alone doing the job, but the quality of service rendered must be the prime focus. What makes things uneasy in dental tourism? Lack of homework before plunging into this service gives unwanted results. But first of all, we must duly appreciate those dental clinics offering high quality services for patients from outside the country. I am sure they have done proper evaluation of the market with a broader outlook. On the contrary, hastily branding an existing average dental facility into a dental tourism centre, when it does not really comply with any international standards, is detrimental to the seriousness of the concept of dental tourism. What can we do about this?  I think a general practitioner engaged in treating foreigners should be trained adequately on internationally accepted treatment protocols, starting from the basics. There must be a provision where in, the next dentist examining the patient should be able to access and analyze all the investigations relevant to a particular case, in the event of a follow- up or in a re-treatment scenario. It is very important to have proper sterilization and infection control measures, high quality armamentarium and proper knowledge of latest treatment procedures before setting up a dental tourism clinic.

Indian Dentist Research and Review participated in AEEDC Dubai and IDEM Singapore with exhibition stands. Both events were truly class and IDRR could actively involve as a media partner.

Dentistry 2008 in July at Bangalore is sure to explore newer dimensions in Dental Conference. Make sure you attend this program packed with quality scientific programs and exhibition.