Dec 16, 2009
School of Dentistry, Kochi
Dr. Alice Kurien of the Amrita School of Dentistry was recently felicitated at the Indian Dental Association’s Kerala Conference at Calicut.
The Bulletin of the Indian Dental Association received the Best Dental Journal Award at the Conference. Dr. Alice, the Bulletin’s editor, received this award from the Honorable Health Minister, Smt. Sreemathi Teacher.
“The journal seeks to publish scientific articles to expand the knowledge base in dentistry among the members of our profession,” informed Dr. Alice. “All branch and state-level academic activities are reported in the journal.”
Published quarterly, the journal is viewed as an important communication link among the members of the IDA, Kochi Branch. It is circulated to its 1000+ members. In addition, copies are sent to office-bearers of all IDA local and state branches.
“Our goal is to showcase the best achievements of the fraternity of practicing dentists in the Kochi region, through case studies and original research articles,” Dr. Alice explained further.
Herself an achiever, Dr. Alice teaches at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at the Amrita School of Dentistry as well as in the Medical Informatics Department at the Amrita School of Medicine.
She joined Amrita after completing BDS from Calicut University. She was honored with the best outgoing student award as well as four gold medals for scholastic achievements. At Amrita, she placed first in the Medical Informatics class.
An excellent orator, Dr. Alice is actively involved with mentoring several student extra-curricular initiatives. How does she find the time to work on the journal as well? “The journal is important to me as it is read by most dental professionals in this area,” she said.
There is a paradigm shift underway in the delivery of dental care services from a doctor-centric approach to a patient-centric approach world-wide and India is no exception. In the recent October 2009 issue, Dr. Alice addressed this in her editorial.
“… In this age of information … the patient has every right to know … the diagnosis and the available treatment options … when the patient asks for a specific treatment … the response “I am the Doctor and I will decide on the treatment for you” may not work …”
“Rather than giving just medical prescriptions, all dental clinics and doctors need to make the dental visit a more inviting and comfortable experience for patients by educating them and taking their consent before proceeding with the treatment.”
Wise words indeed. We wish the journal and its editor continued success in informing and educating the fraternity of dentists about the latest developments in their field.
