Role of Oral Health Workforce in Health Care Value Equation

Aim & Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the current status of the health workforce in India in terms of changing trends in distribution and availability of services and its influence on the development of a new bridge course for dentists to practice medicine. Methodology: The Arksey and O'Malley method for conducting a scoping review was used. The distribution of the health workforce, i.e., doctors practising allopathic medicine and dentistry in India, was analysed from previous literature of the past 10 years, from 2009- 2019, and was compared to that of the previous decade (1999- 2009) to analyse the change in trends over the past 2 decades. The various factors responsible for change in trends were postulated. Results: There is an inverse ratio of dentist to population, especially in the rural areas, of 1:50,000. While the urban areas maintain a fair ratio of 1:8000, the metropolitan cities face a crowded dentist to population ratio including the dental colleges and other tertiary facilities. It is questionable whether the proposal of the new bridge course for dentists to practice family medicine will change the current distribution pattern of health workforce given the high concentration of dentists in urban areas. Conclusion: The proper distribution of available workforce is the need of the hour, the challenges to which could probably be overcome with strong consensus and implementation through upstream approaches. Keywords: oral health workforce, allopathic doctors, india