India's street dentists
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India's street dentists offer a much-needed service to the poor
Before dentistry was regulated in the 20th century, it was common practice for a person with no formal dental training to perform dental procedues on the street. However in India there are more licensed dental clinics setting up shop, which are slowly making the services of street dentists obsolete.
Many baulk in horror at the idea of undergoing unsanitary dental procedures, but for some it is a reality as they are unable to pay for proper dental care. These street dentists usually perform simple medical procedures such as extracting teeth. It is common for street dentists to use rusty pliers, and carry out the procedures without the use of gloves or anesthetics. Obviously the shared tools increases the risk of blood-borne infections like hepatitis B and C, but it is a risk the poor are willing to take.
A roadside dentist checks the teeth of a patient in Jammu, India. Although street dentistry is illegal in India, many still continue to practice their trade. There are reports of policemen extorting money from street dentists to allow them to continue their work
A roadside dentist cleans false teeth in Jammu, India. Many Indians rely upon roadside dentists with or without medical license for treatment of various ailments at a low cost.
Roadside dentist Mohammad Sharif works on a denture at his makeshift clinic in Karachi. Treatment charges range from 600 rupees (US$9.70) for a minor toothache to 3,000 rupees (US$48.50) for a major surgery. The signs in the background promote dental hygiene.
Roadside dentist Mohammad Sharif works on a denture.
Ramjee Sao,75, a roadside dentist and Hindu holy man, checks the teeth of a man as others wait at his roadside clinic in the northern Indian city of Varanasi. Sao provides a range of dental services from extractions, to filling cavities and routine pain alleviation procedures to making a complete set of dentures.
Ramjee Sao fixes the dentures on a patient at his roadside clinic in Varanasi
A roadside dentist treats a customer in Srinagar, India. Instead of setting up a stall, he goes around tending to patients with his bag of tools.
A dentist sets up shop using a few sheets of tarp along a road in Lahore, Pakistan. Street dentists fulfill a much-needed service for the poor.
A Pakistani dentist examines a patient at a roadside in Pakistani town of Chaman along the Afghanistan border.
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I've seen a documentary on this.
For only a few dollar, you can have dental treatment on the streets, with rusty tools and even shared needles for some >__>
However, poor sanitation it might seem, people living in the streets are actually more hardy and less likely to succumb to infection...
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We have to ignore these types of dentist.We have to prefer a good certified dentist and a certified always use the glooves and mask at the time of your teeth checkup.This is also safe from us as well as doctor.