There is a knowledge gap regarding the significance of oral health, especially among rural communities due to which, dental quackery is on the rise and, quacks can be seen practicing at roadside rest areas and in clinics. [Representational Image: Wikimedia Commons]

Dental Quackery: The Status Quo in India

Dental quackery is the practice of providing oral care by unlicensed practitioners and can be detrimental to one's physical, mental, emotional & financial wellbeing.

Dental quackery shares a long history with medical quackery that extends back thousands of years. Poorly educated people are frequently easy targets for quacks who provide unlicensed dental care, which frequently results in complications. Due to a substantial geographic disparity in the accessibility of dental treatment, dentistry in India is experiencing considerable issues with accessibility, even though dentistry has made great strides over the past century.

The population living in rural areas and belonging to lower socioeconomic strata in low- and middle-income countries struggles with a lack of access to proper oral healthcare and illegal oral healthcare practitioners profit by offering their services.

Dental quackery, which is the practice of providing oral care by unlicensed practitioners, can be detrimental to one's physical, mental, emotional, and financial health due to the treatment itself or the lack of access to appropriate care and treatment.

The procedures performed by quacks are incredibly undesirable, harmful, and risky and can have a range of repercussions, including patient death, because they lack a thorough exploratory foundation and professional training received in dentistry institutions.

The population living in rural areas and belonging to lower socioeconomic strata in low- and middle-income countries struggles with a lack of access to proper oral healthcare and illegal oral healthcare practitioners profit by offering their services. [Representational Image: Wikimedia Commons]

Commonly performed malpractices by dental quacks encountered by dentists and their opinion on it:

I have seen quacks using single anesthetic needle on multiple patients and this practice increases risk of transmission of various diseases.

Dr. Samridhi Soumya, BDS, currently practicing in South Delhi

Undertaking procedures without any aseptic precautions is very commonly done by quacks and this is concerning because it results in different infections in patients.

Dr. Anurupa Roy, BDS, currently practicing in Lucknow

Replacement of a missing tooth directly in the mouth with artificial teeth using self-curing acrylic is a very common quackery procedure encountered which I have encountered in my dental OPD and this procedure damages gingiva and adjacent teeth.

Dr. R.D Singh, BDS, MDS (Prosthodontics)

Use of wires for stabilizing the tooth or denture with the support of adjacent teeth is also one of the common quackery hacks practiced over the years and I have frequently treated patients who underwent this procedure at the hands of quacks.

Dr. Parikha Raj, BDS

I have had numerous patients come to me with remnants of the tooth roots in their sockets after getting their teeth extracted by a dental quack.

Dr. Shaniya Zarina Khan, BDS, currently practicing in Delhi

Patients who receive treatment from dental quacks are at a significant risk of contracting infections including hepatitis B and C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and others due to a lack of an effective sterilization system.

Dr. Ankita Kamal, BDS

Reasons for the Growth of Dental Quackery in India-

One of the main causes of subsidized dental care is the unequal distribution of dental professionals between the public and private sectors. This regrettable predicament is also evident in India, where primary healthcare approaches in dentistry are absent and, when they are present, the infrastructure provides oral healthcare with limited resources and a workforce.

Dental quacks primarily serve members of the lower-middle and lower socioeconomic levels, who have little awareness of the standard of care and only seek therapy when they are in excruciating pain. [Representational Image: Wikimedia Commons]

There is a knowledge gap regarding the significance of oral health, especially among rural communities, because dentistry is not included in any national health policies or national health programs. Due to this, dental quackery is on the rise. In both rural and urban areas of India, quacks can be seen practicing at roadside rest areas and in clinics. The fact that patients must pay out of their own pockets in the majority of developing nations, including India, prevents many patients from accessing dental care.

In India, only 15–25% of the population may access dental care through government programs, while 80–85% must pay out of pocket. Financial accessibility is key in this situation to enabling the growth of dental quack medicine. More expensive procedures are carried out by trained dentists, which are out of the reach of the majority of people. As a result, those in need who cannot afford specialized care tend to turn to quacks.

These quacks promise quick, painless healing. Illiterate consumers sometimes succumb to these unlicensed, unqualified oral healthcare practitioners (OHCP), hoping to find a quick fix for their tooth issues. These inexperienced personnel frequently do more damage than good and, in some cases, cause irreparable injury. Dental quacks primarily serve members of the lower-middle and lower socioeconomic levels, who have little awareness of the standard of care and only seek symptomatic treatment when they are in excruciating pain.

Financial inaccessibility is key in enabling the growth of dental quack medicine in India. [Representational Image: Wikimedia Commons]

Measures to Tackle Dental Quackery:

• The most crucial issue to concentrate on is expanding access to high-quality dental care in rural communities.

• Together, the Indian government and the DCI should propose a robust policy to end the immoral practice of dental quackery, which is affecting the populace.

• Every single dentist has a crucial role to play in raising awareness of the dangers of seeing a dental quack and in educating people about the value of good oral health.

Due to a lack of resources, illiteracy, and awareness, quackery is nevertheless socially accepted in India. As a result, many individuals fall prey to the tricks of medical and dental quacks, causing significant harm. Legislators are hesitant to enact strict legal restrictions to stop quackery, but it's time to take serious action to protect lives and minimize the harmful aftermath of quackery.

Dr. Munish Raizada, (MD, FAAP), CEO of MedBound

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