Varkey Nadakkavukaran Santhosh , Arshad Ahmed , Rhea Vas , S.R. Apoorva , U. Venkatesh , Vaibhav Kumar
{"title":"印度通过教育机构提供可负担得起的牙科保健服务的地理分布:一项基于国家一级地理信息系统的测绘研究","authors":"Varkey Nadakkavukaran Santhosh , Arshad Ahmed , Rhea Vas , S.R. Apoorva , U. Venkatesh , Vaibhav Kumar","doi":"10.1016/j.jobcr.2025.07.021","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Access to affordable dental care remains a significant challenge in India, particularly for populations in rural and underserved regions. Dental colleges, through their teaching hospitals, serve as one of the key providers of low-cost dental healthcare. This study aimed to evaluate geographic disparities in the distribution of dental colleges and their postgraduate specializations across India using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with implications for equitable healthcare planning<strong>.</strong></div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was conducted from January to April 2025. Data on all recognized dental colleges and their postgraduate offerings in nine dental specialties were obtained from the Dental Council of India. Geocoding was carried out using verified official addresses. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS software. Additional demographic and administrative data were sourced from the Census of India and government records. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyze differences across zones and ownership types.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 329 dental colleges were mapped, with significant disparities observed across states and zones. Densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar showed a low presence of government institutions, indicating reliance on private colleges. South zone, particularly state of Karnataka, exhibited a higher concentration of institutions, largely private. Postgraduate specializations were also unevenly distributed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This national GIS-based mapping reveals critical geographic inequities in access to affordable dental care through educational institutions. Findings highlight the need for strategic policy interventions to enhance public sector presence in underserved areas and ensure equitable oral healthcare access across India.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16609,"journal":{"name":"Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research","volume":"15 5","pages":"Pages 1141-1148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Geographic distribution of affordable dental care services through educational institutes in India: A national level GIS-based mapping study\",\"authors\":\"Varkey Nadakkavukaran Santhosh , Arshad Ahmed , Rhea Vas , S.R. Apoorva , U. Venkatesh , Vaibhav Kumar\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.jobcr.2025.07.021\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Access to affordable dental care remains a significant challenge in India, particularly for populations in rural and underserved regions. Dental colleges, through their teaching hospitals, serve as one of the key providers of low-cost dental healthcare. This study aimed to evaluate geographic disparities in the distribution of dental colleges and their postgraduate specializations across India using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with implications for equitable healthcare planning<strong>.</strong></div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was conducted from January to April 2025. Data on all recognized dental colleges and their postgraduate offerings in nine dental specialties were obtained from the Dental Council of India. Geocoding was carried out using verified official addresses. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS software. Additional demographic and administrative data were sourced from the Census of India and government records. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyze differences across zones and ownership types.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 329 dental colleges were mapped, with significant disparities observed across states and zones. Densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar showed a low presence of government institutions, indicating reliance on private colleges. South zone, particularly state of Karnataka, exhibited a higher concentration of institutions, largely private. Postgraduate specializations were also unevenly distributed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This national GIS-based mapping reveals critical geographic inequities in access to affordable dental care through educational institutions. Findings highlight the need for strategic policy interventions to enhance public sector presence in underserved areas and ensure equitable oral healthcare access across India.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":16609,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research\",\"volume\":\"15 5\",\"pages\":\"Pages 1141-1148\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":0.0000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-07-30\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"1085\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212426825001654\",\"RegionNum\":0,\"RegionCategory\":null,\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"Medicine\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of oral biology and craniofacial research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212426825001654","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
Geographic distribution of affordable dental care services through educational institutes in India: A national level GIS-based mapping study
Introduction
Access to affordable dental care remains a significant challenge in India, particularly for populations in rural and underserved regions. Dental colleges, through their teaching hospitals, serve as one of the key providers of low-cost dental healthcare. This study aimed to evaluate geographic disparities in the distribution of dental colleges and their postgraduate specializations across India using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), with implications for equitable healthcare planning.
Methods
A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was conducted from January to April 2025. Data on all recognized dental colleges and their postgraduate offerings in nine dental specialties were obtained from the Dental Council of India. Geocoding was carried out using verified official addresses. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS software. Additional demographic and administrative data were sourced from the Census of India and government records. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyze differences across zones and ownership types.
Results
A total of 329 dental colleges were mapped, with significant disparities observed across states and zones. Densely populated states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar showed a low presence of government institutions, indicating reliance on private colleges. South zone, particularly state of Karnataka, exhibited a higher concentration of institutions, largely private. Postgraduate specializations were also unevenly distributed.
Conclusion
This national GIS-based mapping reveals critical geographic inequities in access to affordable dental care through educational institutions. Findings highlight the need for strategic policy interventions to enhance public sector presence in underserved areas and ensure equitable oral healthcare access across India.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research (JOBCR)is the official journal of the Craniofacial Research Foundation (CRF). The journal aims to provide a common platform for both clinical and translational research and to promote interdisciplinary sciences in craniofacial region. JOBCR publishes content that includes diseases, injuries and defects in the head, neck, face, jaws and the hard and soft tissues of the mouth and jaws and face region; diagnosis and medical management of diseases specific to the orofacial tissues and of oral manifestations of systemic diseases; studies on identifying populations at risk of oral disease or in need of specific care, and comparing regional, environmental, social, and access similarities and differences in dental care between populations; diseases of the mouth and related structures like salivary glands, temporomandibular joints, facial muscles and perioral skin; biomedical engineering, tissue engineering and stem cells. The journal publishes reviews, commentaries, peer-reviewed original research articles, short communication, and case reports.