CEO and MD of Smile Care Expert dental Care Center, Dr. Ratnadeep Patil has spoken glowing about the future of the dental industry in India in a recent interview.

Patil spoke positively about the scope of automation in dentistry today. Despite its presence in dentistry for the past 15 years, automation has only recently succeeded in becoming an integral part of the practice. For instance cone-beam CT scans, developed for the sole cause of dental usage has aided in numerous important procedures like bone grafting surgeries.

About the local dentistry scene in India, Patil revealed that there are 1,80,000 dental graduates across the nation of which around 80,000 are practicing dentistry actively. The Indian dental market is worth a colossal $2 billion and is expected to grow at a rate of 20 percent, year on year.

He also revealed that the new waves of computer-aided dental practices are being accepted well by the general public. These new practices have resulted in more accurate and efficient diagnosis rendered to patients. On the contrary, Patil also spoke about how these technologies come at a cost that may not be affordable to a significant chunk of the Indian population.

Patil also predicts a transitional period for India’s dental practitioners to get used to these relatively new technologies.

He also expressed concern about these developments and was quoted saying,”One big issue they may face in India is the final cost of treatment delivery for patients. Unfortunately, in India we don’t have dental insurance, and if automation has to reach the masses and benefit our society, putting dental insurance in place may be critical. The government bodies also need to bring in automation for dental practitioners at hospitals to take the benefit of these technologies to the masses.”

He concluded re-iterating the fact that automation and new technologies are the future of Indian dentistry which constitutes one of the fastest growing markets in the nation.