A. Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Ashok Dhoble, M.D.S.

(Orthodontist)

ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

After finishing his schooling in his native place in Osmanabad, Latur, Maharashtra,
India, Dr. Ashok Dhoble came to Mumbai, the erstwhile Bombay, to pursue his
professional studies.

He graduated in Dental Science from the Government Dental College & Hospital,
Mumbai, in 1980. A promising student, he was the recipient of the National Talent
Scholarship from the National Council for Education, Research & Training, (NCERT),
New Delhi, for his graduate studies. With his streak of a genius, he excelled in
academics, ranking 2nd in B.D.S. at the University of Mumbai and 1st in Orthodontia
and Oral Surgery. He completed his post-graduation, M.D.S., specializing in
Orthodontics from the same Government Dental College & Hospital, Mumbai, in
1985.

COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION

Dr. Dhoble possesses an inherent inclination towards imparting quality education.

•Began his teaching career at the Government Dental College & Hospital, Mumbai.
•Assistant Professor, Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society Dental College,
Gulbarga, Karnataka, Department of Orthodontics.
•Hon. Assistant Professor, M. G. M. Dental College, Department of Dentistry, New
Bombay.
•Hon. Professor, Department of Dentistry, Terna Medical College, Nerul, New
Bombay.
•Hon. Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Government Dental College,
Mumbai.

His love for teaching and commitment and devotion to dentistry took him far and
wide in the country and abroad, spreading the good word about dentistry and the
message of Optimal Oral Health for all. He conducts continuing dental education
programmes and training programmes for the benefit of dental students and dental
practitioners. He contributes to dental journals and magazines and newspapers.

PROFESSIONAL DISTINCTIONS

•Hon. Consultant, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai.

•Hon. Research Orthodontist, Department of Plastic Surgery, Grant Medical College,
J. J. Group of Hospitals.
•Advisor to the Government of India, Department of Public Health & Medical
Education.
•Nominated by the Government of Maharashtra to the Dental Council of
India, the law making body for dentistry in the country.

IDA and Dr. Ashok Dhoble

Dr. Ashok Dhoble has been intimately associated with the activities of the Indian
Dental Association (IDA) right from his college days.

His formal connection to the IDA as an office-bearer spans more than 2 decades.
He has worked in different capacities in the organization and with his administrative
acumen, he rose to the rank of Hon. Secretary General of the Indian Dental
Association and is now into his 2nd term.

He has proved to be the ideal choice for this prestigious office. His sincere and
selfless leadership has brought in a new meaning to IDA. He is passionate about
IDA and wants to build IDA into a successful organization of professional repute. He
has the courage to initiate new projects and see them implemented successfully.

VISIONARY, THINKER AND INNOVATOR

His contributions to promotion of oral health have been outstanding.

Especially noteworthy are his efforts towards eradicating tobacco consumption and
towards taking preventive measures against cancer caused by tobacco.

He initiated campaigns against the use of tobacco, eventually leading the

Government to ban smoking in all public places.

During his stewardship of the Indian Dental Association, he set up the following
bodies:

•Oral Cancer Foundation for early detection and treatment of oral cancer. The “Spot
and Prevent Oral Cancer Trauma” (SPOT) Centre under the Oral Cancer
Foundation functions as the tool for early detection of pre-cancerous and
cancerous lesions and treatment thereof.
•The Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII) Centre for tobacco cessation and
counselling to wean away people from tobacco use and reducing the
incidence of oral cancer. Doctors were given training in early detection and
 treatment and to set up TII Centres for tobacco cessation.
•Child Dental Centre to combat early childhood caries and prevent dental decay
among children.
•Accredited Continuing Dental Education Programmes were instituted for
professional advancement and practice accreditation of dental professionals.

The SPOT and TII Centres developed under the umbrella of the Oral Cancer
Foundation are novel initiatives and are significant contributions by IDA to
Oral Healthcare Management.

Achievements:
Dr. Dhoble started numerous initiatives under the banner of IDA.

NEW ACTIVITIES

1. The Oral Cancer Foundation

Oral cancer, with increasing consumption of tobacco and alcohol, poses a major
threat to public health. India ranks first in oral cancer in the world. To create
awareness of early detection, preventive care and research, the Oral Cancer
Foundation was set up and under its umbrella, SPOT Centre started
functioning to aid early detection and treatment of oral cancer
supplemented with the Tobacco Cessation Centre (TII) for tobacco
cessation and Counselling. The SPOT and TII Centres are significant
contributions of IDA to oral healthcare management in the country.

2. Child Task Force and Child Dental Centre

Dental caries affects the lives of billions of people around the world and
poses an enormous public health challenge in its complexity, scale and
impact, both at the individual and community levels. As a part of the global
initiative against dental caries, IDA set up the Child Task Force and Child
Dental Centre to combat early childhood caries and prevent tooth decay and
improve the oral and general health of children and others affected by dental
caries. Dental professionals have started converting their clinics into SPOT,
TII and CDCs, thereby improving accessibility for a particular type of service

3. Establishment of Research Centre

To facilitate communication and increase the knowledge for improvement of
oral health in the country, IDA set up a Research Centre to undertake oral
health research. The Centre promotes strategic dental research initiatives,
serves as incubators for research development, establishes valuable research
partnerships, fosters innovation and advances knowledge and applies
scientific knowledge to benefit dental patients.

4. Continuing Dental Education & Dental Practice Accreditation

To keep pace with the global advances in dental science, Accredited
Continuing Dental Education Programmes leading to professional
 advancement and dental practice accreditation were instituted. Collaborative
arrangements were made with the University of California, San Francisco, for
accredited continuing dental education programmes aimed at professional
advancement of dentists.

5. IDA Survey Centre

Towards fulfilling IDA’s mission of attaining optimal oral health in the
country, a Survey Centre was established. The Survey Centre regularly
engages in conducting research into a wide range of issues and subjects of
interest to dentists and the public. These include All India Oral Health
Surveys, Assessment of quality of dental services, dental products and
materials, etc. These surveys provide valuable feedback aimed at identifying
important dental issues for the formulation of a coherent national oral health
policy and improving dental services.

6 The All India Dental Wellness Initiative

The initiative to improve oral health of the country and to evolve an oral
health index of the country was undertaken jointly with the Ministry of Health
& Family Welfare, Government of India, and through private participation. Its
tasks included assessment of the incidence and prevalence of dental and oral
diseases, spread awareness about oral health in the country and come out
with remedial action by forwarding recommendations to the Union
Government to develop an Oral Health Policy and its integration with the
National Health Policy.

7. The IDA Publications

The number of publications was increased to 8 from just one initially. The
publications, viz., The IDA Times, Clinical Dentistry, Oral Health, Student
Digest, Product Profile, Dental Events, and the Journal of Indian Dental
Association (JIDA) cater to the increasing needs of the dental fraternity in the
country to enhance knowledge and hone their skills aimed at improving the
quality of service to the society, while Oral Health helps in promoting oral
healthcare awareness amongst the populace. These publications, in general,
facilitate creation of awareness about oral health and hygiene.

Dr. Dhoble was also instrumental in starting an Indian edition of the Journal of
American Dental Association (JADA).

8. The All-India Dental Personnel Database

For the first time since Independence, a complete and comprehensive

database of the dental personnel in the country has been created. This
is a comprehensive “Dental Directory”. Special software was designed for
the purpose. In addition to making administration at the State Dental
Councils easy and simple, it would also help implement programmes like the
CDE Accreditation and Office Standardization.
9. Corporate Dental Health Check ups

Dental Health Check ups are conducted for employees of leading Corporate
Houses. The objective is to create awareness about Oral Health and Hygiene
and to partner with the Organization to attain the goal of Zero Tooth decay
among their staff.
IMPORTANT TREND-SETTING EVENTS

1. Workshop on Dental Personnel Planning and Management

Led by IDA, the Workshop was held in September 2005 under the aegis of
the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, and in
partnership with the Dental Council of India. The endeavour was to work out
the strategies for the assessment of the dentist population in the country
with the aim to establish a directory of dental personnel resources in the
country.

2. Workshop on Oral Health Strategic Planning

IDA organized the workshop under the aegis of the Ministry of Health &
Family Welfare, Government of India. The endeavour was to plan strategies
for the assessment of the Incidence and Prevalence of dental and oral
diseases in the country.

IDA ON THE MOVE

1. IDA’s Advocacy Initiatives.

The Dentist’s Act, 1946, was reviewed and recommendations for changes and
amendments in the same have been submitted to the Government of India
for necessary action.

2. The IDA Administrative Machinery

Every aspect of the administration of the IDA from the Head Office has been
made simple, smooth and effective with computerisation of data.
Computerisation not only makes office procedures like registration of new
members and renewal easy and simple, but also facilitates identification of
dental personnel and utilisation of their expertise and services in case of any
contingency.

3. Development of customized Computer Software for IDA

Specific Specialized Software has been developed to help organization of

conferences / oral health programmes / continuing dental education
programmes and workshops.

4. The IDA Website

In times of technological advances, the IDA Website is a window for the people
worldwide to know about IDA, its programmes, its members, the dental
profession, oral health and the like. It is an exhaustive site with extensive
information to help a wide section of the society.

5. IDA Retirement Plan & Dental Insurance

Although in their infancy, IDA Retirement Plan and Dental Insurance are
 mechanisms aimed at improving security to dental professionals.

Through his inspired leadership and innovative approach, Dr. Ashok Dhoble, has
been instrumental in establishing IDA as an organisation committed to dental
excellence and promoting oral health awareness among the people, thus leading to
an overall improvement in the General Health Index of the country.