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In a recent public notice, the Telangana Medical Council (TMC) has stated that dental surgeons, including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (OMFS), are not qualified to carry out aesthetic procedures or hair transplants. The council said these are not part of their formal curriculum, and dentists lack the surgical training needed for such work.
The notice, dated June 26, said that these procedures must be done by doctors who are formally trained in them, not by dentists or dental surgeons.
NMC Backed the View
The TMC’s notice follows a clarification issued by the National Medical Commission (NMC) earlier this month. Responding to TMC’s query, the NMC said that procedures like hair transplants should only be done by specialists who have formal surgical training, like those with MCh or DNB in Plastic Surgery, or MD/DNB in Dermatology with relevant experience.
“Hair transplant should preferably be undertaken only by those who have surgical grooming, like formal surgical training, such as MCh/DNB in Plastic Surgery, or MD/DNB Dermatology with adequate grooming in dermatological surgical procedures. It is also noted that the above-mentioned specialities have Hair transplantation as a core topic in their curriculum,” the NMC said.
On aesthetic procedures, the NMC added:
“Such procedures should be undertaken only by those RMPs (Registered Medical Practitioners) who have adequate training to do these procedures as per their curriculum. So, curriculum of various specialties should be the guiding principle for all RMPs while undertaking any procedure, including aesthetics and Hair transplant procedures.”
It also clarified that the Dental Council of India (DCI) had issued its earlier notice in 2022 without consulting the NMC’s Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB).
What DCI Had Said Before
In 2022, the Dental Council of India had said that oral and maxillofacial surgeons, with adequate training and equipment, could perform hair transplants and aesthetic procedures. Their guidelines included conditions like having resuscitation equipment, postoperative monitoring rooms, and prior clearance from a medical specialist.
Telangana Dental Council Hits Back
Now, the Telangana Dental Council (TDC) has issued its own counter-notice. It said that OMFS surgeons are trained in treating facial injuries, deformities and are fully capable of performing aesthetic and hair transplant procedures.
TDC's notice states that Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are specialist surgeons who diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions affecting the mouth, jaws, face, and neck… and carry out aesthetic surgeries.
The TDC urged the public not to be “misled” by statements from bodies other than the Dental Council of India or the respective State Dental Councils.
Past Cases Raise Safety Concerns
This debate has also brought back old safety concerns. In one case from Kanpur, two engineers died after a hair transplant done by a dentist. The case had raised questions over training and regulation in such procedures.
What This Means
This isn’t just a debate between councils. It’s also about who is officially allowed to do procedures like hair transplants. With different councils saying different things, the confusion continues, leaving patients caught in the middle.
(Rh/Pooja Bansal/MSM)
