Challenge of Producing Specialist Practitioners in Periodontology in Pakistan

Farhan Raza Khan      BDS, MS, MCPS, FCPS

In Pakistan, the system of education in medicine and dentistry is largely based on the model of United Kingdom. Similarly, the post graduate education scheme in Pakistan generally follows the British system. 1 However, instead of having separate royal colleges for Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics and Obstetrics-Gynecology etc., there is a single large institution with the name of College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP) that serves as the premier body that governs teaching, training and assessment of health care specialists in this country of 200 million individuals. Dentistry too, is overseen by it.

Since, the CPSP started post graduate training and examination in dental specialties in year 1995, the academic dentistry is still in its early evolutionary stage in Pakistan. Although, disciplines like Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Prosthodontics, Orthodontics and Endodontics/Operative Dentistry have gained momentum in last two decades, as revealed by number of specialists and teachers trained in these area; there are certain disciplines in which an acute dearth of trained specialists and academicians exists. These neglected disciplines are Periodontology, Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health2.

Due to a big discrepancy in supply of teachers in these areas and their need, the dental institutions are finding it extremely difficult to recruit and retain suitable teachers. This has also adversely affected the competency of the general dentists as there are not enough teachers in this area to inculcate the correct the competencies in the dental graduates.

Especially, the subject of Periodontology demands attention. There is just one faculty member in the entire country that has started the Periodontology training program and that too in year 2013-4. 3 Aspiring candidates in the other provinces of Pakistan interested in joining the Periodontology residency program are at a disadvantage as there is no other opportunity locally available. It’s unfortunate to learn that in the metropolitan city of Karachi (with an estimated population of 20 million), there is no Periodontology training avenue owing to non-existing Periodontology mentors.

Following are the strategies to develop a sustainable supply of Periodontology trained teachers and researchers:

First step should be to document the exact of number of practitioners and faculty members trained in Periodontology and then incentivize them to serve as mentor for residency trainees. Pakistan Dental Association (PDA) and CPSP have to be on the same page for this task.