Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital

The Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital is a Government dental college located in Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is affiliated to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences and is recognised by Dental Council of India.^[2] It teaches Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) courses^[1][2] in various specialty.

Fatima Jinnah the leading Founding mothers of modern-state of Pakistan and the sister of Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, graduated from here.

Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College & Hospital (New Campus)

Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College & Hospital

Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College & Hospital (Old Campus)

History

Southeast Asias' oldest college owes its existence to the legendary visionary Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed(1890- 1965). This college has churned out many stalwarts in the field of dentistry and surgery over the last few decades.

Dr. R. Ahmed (1890-1965)

Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed was born on December 24, 1890, in Bardhanpara, East Bengal, India. He graduated from Aligarh Muslim University in 1908. By the next year, he left for the United States by working his passage over.He enrolled in the University of Iowa School of Dentistry, earning his dental degree in 1915. Dr. Ahmed then worked in the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children in Boston, Massachusetts, until 1918. In 1919, he returned to India to open a dental practice in Calcutta.

In 1920, Dr. Ahmed founded the First Dental College of India, which was financed by starting the New York Soda Fountain in Calcutta. Dr. Ahmed published the First Student’s Handbook on Operative Dentistry in 1928.

The First Dental College of India affiliated with the State Medical Facility in 1936, and then with the University of Calcutta in 1949. In that same year, Dr. Ahmed donated his First Dental College of India to the West Bengal government. Dr. Ahmed served as the Principal of the College from 1920 to 1950.

Dr. Ahmed’s philosophy was: ‘‘Education is the responsibility of the State; but if no one is willing to carry the cross, I will, for as long as I can.’’

In 1925, Dr. Ahmed established the Bengal Dental Association, which became the forerunner for the Indian Dental Association(which he also organized in 1928). He served three terms as President of the Indian Dental Association from 1945 to 1949.

He also established the Indian Dental Journal in 1925 and was its Editor until 1946.

Dr. Ahmed helped to form the Bengal Dentists Act in 1939. This was the first dental governmental regulation in India and it became the model for the Indian Dental Act passed in 1948. Dr. R. Ahmed was the first elected President of the India Dental Council, serving from 1954 to 1958.

Dr. Ahmed was awarded a Fellowship in the International College of Dentists in 1947 and Fellowships in the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Pierre Fauchard Academy in 1949. In 1964, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Bhushan, a rare and coveted honor never before presented to a dentist. Dr. Ahmed was the first Indian to have achieved such status.

Dr. Ahmed served as a Councillor and Alderman of the Calcutta Corporation from 1932 to 1944. In 1950, he became a Minister in the West Bengal government and was supervisor for the Departments of Agriculture, Community Development, Co-operation, Relief, and Rehabilitation until 1962.

Dr. Ahmed earned many honors and memorial tributes, of which inscription on the ICD Memorial Roll in 1965 was a particularly special tribute. The Indian Dental Association recognized his many contributions to Indian dentistry by establishing the Dr. R. Ahmed Memorial Oration at the 1977 Annual Indian Dental Conference. The Pierre Fauchard Academy dedicated its 1987 quarterly PFA Journal in Dr. Ahmed’s memory, and the University of Iowa School of Dentistry Alumni Association presented their First Distinguished International Alumnus Award to him in 1989.

Today, Dr. R. Ahmed is remembered as the Nestor and Dean of Dentistry, Dental Education, and the Dental Profession in India. He died on January 18, 1965.

Statue of Dr. R. Ahmed inside the old campus

Courses offered

Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College conducts an undergraduate programme of four years followed by one year of internship which leads to a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree and the postgraduate programme of three years leads to a Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) degree. MDS is offered in following specialties:

• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.
• Orthodontics and Orofacial Orthopaedics.
• Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics.
• Paedodontics.
• Periodontics.
• Prosthodontics and Maxillofacial Prosthesis.
• Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and Oral Microbiology.

Infrastructure

The institution has good infrastructure facilities with 200-dental chairs and latest state-of-the-art dental equipment. It is the only government institution in India to have got the latest laser technology. A centrally air-conditioned lecture halls with the latest audio-visual aids, well equipped library, phantom head labs for pre-clinical training and seminar/CDE rooms are a few of the state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities provided for training programmes. Hostel facilities are available for boys and girls.

The institute is divided into two campuses: New Campus and old Campus. The undergraduate and postgraduate training for both pre-clinical and clinical aspects are imparted at the New and Old campuses. Clinical facilities for training in medical subjects are available at the NRS Medical College. This institution has gained the reputation to handle most number of patients than any other dental institutes in India.

Departments

• Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.
• Orthodontics.

Admission

The institution enrols undergraduates on the basis of their scores in the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examination (WBJEE)& All India Premedical Test (AIPMT). The postgraduate candidate are admitted through West Bengal Post Graduate Entrance Examination & All India Post Graduate Entrance Examination (AIPGMEE) for MDS.

References