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Rs74L machine gathers dust at government dental college

In six months, the machine was used on only 10-12 patients (of which eight were for demonstrative purposes), an RTI query has revealed.

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Twenty minutes. That’s all it takes to make dental caps with a CAD/CAM unit after a root canal procedure. Without the machine, the procedure takes two days. Yet, what is supposed to be a boon for mankind has been of no use to the common man.

The Government Dental College (GDC) purchased the machine for its department of conservative dentistry and endodontics for Rs74 lakh in 2011. However, in six months, it was used on only 10-12 patients (of which eight were for demonstrative purposes), an RTI query has revealed. The department sees 1,000 patients every day.

Dr Ajay Gupta, a dentist who filed the RTI, said, “The utility value of such an expensive machine has been zero. Daily, at least 40% of people who avail our OPD services require root canal treatment and dental caps. But the CAD/CAM unit has barely been used.”

An example of state-of-the-art German technology, the CAD/CAM unit allows dentists to mould a ceramic tooth (dental cap) within minutes. This is a breakthrough in the sphere of dentistry, as it shortens an otherwise lengthy procedure and brings down the numerous sittings usually required for a replacement.

Recently, the college had floated a plan to convert one of its wings into a five-star dental tourism centre. Dr Gupta said, “Before making plans to attract foreigners, the hospital needs to ensure that the poor are treated. The hospital is for the poor.”

Dr Gupta added that root canal treatments are common, and a CAD/CAM unit would help address a considerable need. “The machine is not available at any other government dental colleges and in Mumbai too, there are hardly any hospitals that have it. We should be proud that GDC has it. Sadly, it is getting wasted.”

Another senior doctor from the hospital admitted that the machine was an expensive purchase. “When we checked the price in the market, it was Rs65 lakh and the cost was negotiable. The GDC purchased the machine for Rs75 lakh. Instead of wasting money on the machine, the hospital could have bought important devices, like ultrasonic scalers to clean teeth and remove deposits. They are often out of stock at the hospital and causes inconvenience to patients.”

GDC dean Dr Mansing Pawar said, “The CAD/CAM unit is a software-oriented machine and everyone cannot handle it. The machine was bough to train post-graduate students. Since the students are still getting used to the machine, we have decided to use it for three patients per week.”

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