Indian Dental Association (IDA), an authoritative voice of dental professionals, and committed to dental excellence, aims at optimal oral health for all.
IDA in order to render highest quality of public oral health care encourages and provides continuing oral & dental education which maintains, improves and broadens the knowledge and skills; and keeps professional expertise up-to-date in line with current developments. Thus, enhancing the quality of oral health care rendered.
The dental profession’s foremost priorities are to promote and provide oral health care which is possible only by the accreditation of continuing education.
IDA promotes dentistry by perpetuating the profession’s integrity and ethics, strengthening the patient-dentist relationship and serving as both, a source of information and a voice for the profession.
The dental profession is one which requires consistently good practice, compassion and understanding of the patient’s needs. Constant changes in the science of materials, techniques, technology and new diagnostic breakthroughs necessitate constant up-gradation of not only one’s clinical skills but also practice standards and awareness.
IDA recognizes the importance of having dental practices and education as per world standards and hence advocates CODE and Dental practice accreditation so that dentists can improve and adapt to the changes around them in a sustainable manner.
Indian Dental Association (IDA) in collaboration with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Govt. of India, developed a roadmap to accreditation. This emphasized the need for accreditation of professional education, particularly in the prevailing globalised environment. Continuing Oral & Dental Education (CODE) is necessary for dental professionals to enhance the knowledge and skill to render quality services to patient,
There is greater need to include a commitment to life-long learning, and an emphasis on professional ethics and moral responsibility.
These needs are supported by
Accreditation is needed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the public are in sync with latest technology and development along with the acknowledgement of the conventional methods and procedures. We are committed to the continued advancement of the educational standards in order to provide highest quality of oral health care for the public.
These accreditation guidelines highlight the association’s commitment to provide quality oral health care for the public.
IDA asserts that Accrediting CODE are the minimum requirements because the recent advances in oral health care delivery including mounting scientific evidence associates periodontal (gum) disease and systemic diseases, thus increased demand for access to oral health services.
Oral health is an integral component of overall health. This necessitates caring and donating our attention for oral health as an essential component just as we signify general health and well-being. Links between periodontal (gum) disease and diabetes have long been noted. Research also points to associations between chronic oral infections and heart and lung diseases, stroke, and low-birth-weight - premature births.
These associations are particularly important because often the signs and symptoms of systemic diseases, such as diabetes, first appear in the mouth. Oral health and its relationship to total health underscore the need for quality education for dental professionals.
Promoting oral health and providing dental care in a safe environment are the dental profession’s foremost priorities. The profession seeks to serve the public by advocating improved access to care, research and innovation, the development of standards for materials and technology.
We recognize that Oral health is integral to general health, and thus aim to enhance the quality, availability, affordability of oral health care so that public benefits by improvement in general health and well- being.
Innovations in Oral health research continue to contribute to success in understanding and fighting many other diseases and disorders, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, osteoarthritis, Paget’s disease, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancers of the mouth and throat, chronic pain and other neurologic disorders and infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and AIDS.
Access to preventive and therapeutic dental care can be increased by improving quality of education provided and expanding dental professionals practice settings.
Disparities in access to oral health care services can be found today among various population groups depending upon socioeconomic level, race and ethnicity, age and gender. IDA has repeatedly emphasized that oral disease rates and oral health needs are highest in low-income and special- needs populations, such as the elderly or disabled.
The purpose of ACODE Governing board and ACODE Regulatory board has been protection of the public. IDA enforces rules that regulate the practice of dentistry to enhance the oral health of the public. These boards ensure that registered dentists maintain competence and practice in accordance with the law. The boards assure the public that dental professionals are qualified to provide safe, reliable, and appropriate care.
It is important for dental professionals to keep abreast of changes within their professions because knowledge is expanding due to increased research and technology. Technological advances are also expanding the way dental professionals are educated, services are provided to the public, and how data are collected and disseminated.
IDA advocates Continuing Oral & Dental Education for all dental professionals to expand scientific knowledge and enhance practice modalities. It is only through accredited Continuing Oral & Dental Education that dental professionals can expand their knowledge and skills to meet the future health care needs of the public.
The mission of accreditation of Continuing Oral & Dental Education is
The assessment of quality in educational programmes is the foundation for improving standards of dental care. In addition to the emphasis on quality education, accreditation of Continuing Oral & Dental Education programmes are designed to meet the following goals:
Specific objectives of the current version of the standards include:
IDA is committed to the integration of the following values:
At least 75 of the 250 hours that are done in every five-year cycle must be verifiable CPD. From 2008 compulsory CPD extended to dental care professionals (DCPs)
The changing demographic profile is necessarily accompanied by changing disease patterns, increasing levels of education and health awareness, mere health spending by the Individual as well as the government. The patient centered and evidence-based model of health care is becoming apparent in the Indian Context. The emergence of India as one the lead power house of economic growth and development in a globalized economy has led to a critical appraisal of the Oral health care and educational scenario both from the public as well as the policy makers and the apex regulatory body, Ministry of Health.
While the Dentist-Population ratio has been increasing due to the exponential growth of Dental Institutions of higher learning, the rapid pace of technological and scientific advances, the looming threat of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and risk of cross contamination in the dental clinic clearly mandate a system of Continuing Oral & Dental Education to keep the Dental practitioner aware in terms of current knowledge & skills, thereby enhancing standards of care as well as projecting the Indian Dental Education and health care system onto a global model.