Are we ready for the pandemics: Analyzing indian dental institutions and their preparedness?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic experienced by the Indian subcontinent has been lethal compared to the pandemics of the past. The only lesson learned so far is the need to update our health-care infrastructure. However, besides this, there is also an urgent need to make long-term changes to the continuance of our dental educational system, which is important for the foundations of our mainstream health-care services. This article evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Indian dental education, taking into due consideration the difficulties and available resources. It also intends to recommend strategies and prepare for such scenarios in future. Recent advances in pedagogical innovations involving technology have provided many prospects, especially in the field of online platform learning, but the students/staff requires proficient learning to utilize it effectively. Furthermore, the foremost need is to develop and evaluate the most appropriate technology-based learning for the preclinical and clinical settings. Thus, the current pandemic has undeniably brought countless challenges but also gave the prospect to revolutionize future of Indian dental education.