Dr. A. Bhagvandas Rai has been serving as the Dean, Faculty of Dentistry at Pacific Academy of Higher Education Research University, Udaipur since 2003. Before this, he used to work in a Medical college in Karnataka.

Bhagvandas did his BDS from Mangalore and later on his Masters from Bapuji Dental College in 1996. This is his 25th year in this field and his 19th year in Udaipur.

Bhagvandas comes from a very small town Sagar which is around 200 km. from Mangalore city. His early education was in a Convent school which laid a strong foundation and till 12th he studied there only. He cherishes his time when he used to live in his town. He spent most of his time outdoors rather than indoors unlike today’s children, who are busy with gadgets.

His exposure to dentistry was only once or twice may be due to his or his grandmother’s treatment. It fascinated Bhagvandas but neither he was exactly interested in dentistry, nor he thought that he would become a dentist one day. The scope of dentistry was very vast during that time. In each town, there were a handful of people in this practice. So after 12th, he chose this line but he also never thought of being an academician or an administrator one day. He always wanted to be a full-time practitioner. As the pay in the government sector was very less in this field so he decided to go for the private sector. Coming to his branch of dentistry, though during that time BDS was sufficient for practicing due to his sheer interest and increasing popularity and demand of Oral and maxillofacial surgery, he opted for the specialization in the same. Also, this branch calls for an emergency, unlike other branches. And thus, at present, out of the total strength in dentistry, 80% are females.

Talking about his training schedule while he was pursuing BDS, it was very hectic with very few breaks. Also, Sunday was working but thankfully it was considered as a half-day and they used to get only 3 National holidays in a year, remaining all days were working. That schedule molded them to become tough and this made them ready to face any situation in their present career.

According to Bhagvandas, life completely changed during the Covid period. It changed the entire scenario of every field including dentistry. Till June 2020, there were no emergency dentistry treatments allowed to any of the practitioners. The government somehow neglected dentistry, he feels. He further adds that dentistry pain is one of the most severe pain and oral hygiene is of utmost importance. The oral cavity is the door of our entire system. Food passes through our mouth and if not chewed properly causes multiple problems. Based on the above facts, he thinks that the government should have not neglected this sector and should have taken this as an emergency sector and should have allowed them to practice. But is happy that the government has involved dentists from all over the country in the Vaccination program.

During Covid, dentistry was a high-risk profession along with ENT and Anaesthesia which directly related to the oral cavity and upper respiratory tract. No other healthcare worker is directly exposed unlike the workers in these fields. But they lacked incentives and encouragement from the government side. Even today there is a huge gap in terms of dentistry between rural and urban areas. Due to a lack of awareness and poor oral hygiene in people, when they visit a dentist, they are already in their last stage of illness. So he believes that the government needs to take an urgent call on this matter.

As an academician, he says that most of us get confused between Education and Qualification. He believes that Education is something more than qualification. Qualification is directly related to getting a degree. It is not necessary that if a person has a degree, education is guaranteed. If a person can think beyond the syllabus and can think about what he is trying to do and can understand the things then surely he is into proper education. He finds education much beyond a degree.

Bhagvandas urges everyone to get involved in some kind of physical activity, also he is active with some kind of basic exercises, yoga, and walking. This is very important for every human being. It boosts up our immunity. He suggests people get involved in social activities and give something to society that gives immense happiness.

Bhagvandas thinks that probably at various stages of life our mentors, guides, and role models get changed. If he has to name one, Dr. Shetty, Principal of his BDS college is his role model. He is an academician, clinician par excellence, and an excellent administrator who took his college to the list of top 10 colleges of India. He inculcated about the services we need to do for society and he was the recipient of the B.C Roy award. His service to the rural poor, which he started 30 years back by opening centers in rural areas near Mangalore, is remarkable. They are still in function. He tried to deliver the best about dentistry to all his students and they got the best experience of life at his college. He is a role model, a philosopher, and a guide for Dr. Bhagvandas .

If he gets a chance to go back in time, he wants to be an Agriculturist like his parents and wants to work with them. He is from a society where the property is given to females.

Today when Bhagvandas looks back, Dentistry is at a crossroads. It has 320 private institutions and an intake of about 25000 students. But he still feels and tells all the students joining his college that ‘there is no depth of dentist but there is an acute shortage of a good dentist’.He finds a huge difference between a dentist and a good dentist or a doctor. A dentist is anyone who holds a degree but a good dentist is one who has skills as dentistry is not only science but a combination of art, skill, and science. He also believes that practice makes a man perfect so as we keep on working hard and keep on practicing we will be able to refine our skills. Good hand skills, good communication, and convincing skills are also required for the proper treatment of patients. Soft skills along with hand skills matter a lot in dentistry.

Regarding the scope of dentistry in India, he says that in Urban areas it has reached the saturation level but in rural areas, there exists a void that needs to be filled. The scope of dentistry is wide but we lack awareness in terms of habits like the prohibition of tobacco eating habits and so it is required at all levels. We need to give awareness about oral health, oral hygiene which are interlinked. Awareness about the consumption of harmful products is the need of the hour as India has the highest number of oral cancer cases.

Bhagvandas gets inspired by the words of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who once said “ Dream dream and dream if you will not dream, ideas will not strike your mind. Whether you dream it or not, the idea has to come to your mind. Once the idea is there then you should try to execute it.”. He urges people to dream and dream until the idea comes true.