The pace of progression is picking up, accompanied by competition in every industry, which necessitates every job seeker to have a charismatic personality. An important element of which is – Smile. A smile signifies confidence and the ability to tackle challenges creating a long-lasting impression on the interviewer. And this smile is protected by dental professionals.
As technology advances and consumer needs are becoming versatile, a dentist needs to be prepared professionally to deal with the challenging environment while imbibing the right professional values.
And here, the role of quality education is highlighted. Education fosters minds and shapes them by providing fresh perspectives and trains them in simulation to be ready for the practical world, especially desired in the medical profession.
To provide the world with multifaceted young dental professionals that would strive to bring change in society is Desh Bhagat Dental College, with a lofty mission of pursuing excellence in higher education by providing students with a distinct and unique combination of academic, professional, and personal development.
Providing wings to this mission is its Founder Dr Zora Singh, whose exemplary leadership skills are driving a positive change in the education sector, mainly in dentistry.
An interactive session with the founder provided us with an opportunity to learn more about the pedagogic contributions of Desh Bhagat Dental College to evolve aspiring dentists.
The Foundation and The Backstory
Every name has a unique inspiration for it, and the same goes for Desh Bhagat Dental College. Reminiscing the foundation days, Dr Zora Singh shares, “The story begins with its spirit and source of motivation, which was derived from the freedom fighter Sr. Lal Singh Ji; who fought for the independence of India in 1972, his efforts of social work & his services in the freedom struggle were recognized by awarding him with “TamraPatra” by Govt. of India; hence the name Desh Bhagat was contemplated.”
And soon, the name was attached to an infrastructure. The Dental College was established in the year 2000 and was located in Sri Muktsar Sahib. Following the progression, the College was relocated to Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab (India), in the year 2017 under Desh Bhagat University’s campus.
The founder envisioned the architecture not just as blocks of stone but as speaking walls that vocalized its mission of pursuing excellence in higher education by providing young students with a distinct and unique combination of academic, professional, and personal development.
Core Values and Vision
The ultimate core value of Desh Bhagat Dental College is to provide quality education and the best possible exposure to its students to make them highly successful professionals, but also to make them fully responsible and awakened members of society by imparting them the much-needed value of education and soft skills.
Sharing the institution’s long-term vision, Dr Zora Singh says, “The vision is to emerge as the country’s leading value-based educational and professional hub to have a transformative impact on society by practicing innovation, patronizing research, and shaping global Entrepreneurs and leaders.”
An Impeccable Leader for The Generation
A medical professional who ventured into the field of education, Dr Zora Singh has gained a prominent position in society due to his exemplary work in his career. His rise to prominence can be attributed to his strong willpower, caliber, conviction, dedication, and leadership quality.
Dr Zora Singh has made spectacular progress in pursuit of academic as well as professional excellence in a span of 16 years from 1996 to 2012 by establishing colleges in various disciplines, including Desh Bhagat Dental College & Hospital.
Proudly talking about their leader, the management shared, “As an individual, the founder is respected with positive, a public profile, is to that resonates with students, staff, and alumni and having strong speaking skills capable of inspiring students and staff of the college.”
Peers have accepted the exemplary leadership of Dr Zora Singh in the education field by entrusting him with the responsibilities of various posts in their different organizations.
The founder is a competent team player who understands the importance of collaborative work, which is very helpful for the growth of our College in all aspects. Builds a positive link with students so that they can share their problems with him; this creates a friendly environment in the College.
DBU hasn’t limited itself, and its growth curve charts upward by the contributions of its founder as well as the team. As it is located in a rural area, DBU proposes to foster a vibrant ecosystem for the creation and growth of enterprises and uplift the economy through its shared vision with several government initiatives for entrepreneurship development. Desh Bhagat University has proactively established Entrepreneurship Development and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Cells.
“All faculties in the College have one of the objectives to promote entrepreneurship and provide education as per need of the hours. The educational philosophy of Desh Bhagat University (DBU) is based on three pillars: research, innovation, and entrepreneurship,” Dr Zora Singh further adds.
Educating and Rising with Technology
The introduction of new technology in dentistry allows dentists to work more efficiently and perfectly in minimum duration. The founder, sharing about the incorporation of technology in the College, says, “Our college is well equipped with the latest equipment and dental materials.” The various technology equipment included are:
- College is updated with the latest radiographic diagnostic aids that are all types of digital Xrays.
- Here, professionals perform single-sitting root canals, post and core, bleaching, and aesthetic restorations with Nanocomposites.
- All surgical procedures are done in the Department of Oral Surgery, such as implants, sinus augmentation, etc.
- Facial aesthetics is the prime need for everyone nowadays, so the Department of Orthodontics creates beautiful smiles and faces using the latest techniques and materials such as clear aligners, Damon system of brackets, ceramic brackets, aesthetic wires, orthognathic surgeries, myofunctional and fixed functional appliances.
Department of Prosthodontics provides prosthetic replacement of missing teeth by single and multiple implants with zirconia crowns, for edentulous patients Implant retained overdenture and prosthetic rehabilitation for body parts such fingers, ears etc.
Through these innovative technologies, the College offers immense opportunities for student growth and learning. This is further fostered by the dedicated academic programs offered by the College.
Learning, Growing, and Transforming
The College offers innovative academic programs for students and higher education with cutting-edge technology to meet global requirements. The College promotes class discussion and builds a positive relationship between students and faculty through communication to bring a more positive learning environment.
Also, it launches projects for students to increase their interest in the field and create a sense of order and discipline. The founder says, “Here, a strong foundation of moral values and principles for developing ethical decision-making among the students is built to make them a good professional for the society.”
A Way Through the Thorns
It is the leader and the team that identifies key challenges and turns them into opportunities. The challenges specific to the Dental Healthcare education sector are in delivering health care to “everyone”, especially in remote areas like small villages. Lack of awareness about dental health makes it difficult for a dentist to treat patients, make them understand the treatment plan, and convince them of the number of dentist visits for treatment completion. Patients are convinced to maintain proper oral hygiene status but due to lack of awareness, results are not promising. Referring to the present scenario, he says, “it suggests that the younger generation is more into bad oral habits like consuming tobacco.”
But being a problem solver, the challenges were turned into opportunities to spread wareness. He says, “So, to tackle this challenge, our college has opened a Tobacco cessation centre, where patients are being educated about the same.”
Adding on, he says, “The College is also organizing frequent camps for awareness and educating people regarding the importance of oral health. A team of college professionals with Mobile Dental Van provides dental services to people at their locations.”
Ready for the Dynamic World
Versatile professionals are far better and tackle challenges with ease. To suit the dynamic needs of dentistry, the College has brought in various infrastructural changes and workforce development. The founder shares, “Our hospital is well equipped to practice digitalized cephalometric analysis, intra-oral scanners, aesthetic treatments handled by well-experienced professionals.”
The colleges also stand out in providing various services such as automated root canals with endomotors incorporated with built-in apex locators, radiovisiography x-rays available, advanced learning through inter-departmental seminars, and various CDE programs delivered by well-informed and clinically experienced speakers.
Dr Zora Singh expresses with pride, “So, our college educate the students with all the latest materials and techniques of dentistry so that they can cope with the changing needs of today’s world.”
A Room Full of Accomplishments
DBU has constantly been progressing as an institution. After the Dental College was shifted to Mandi Gobindgarh under Desh Bhagat University in 2017, it got the recognition of 100 BDS seats. It also upgraded MDS seats from 02 to 05 in the Department of Orthodontics Department of Conservative & Endodontics and 03 MDS seats in the Department of Periodontics, 02 MDS seats in the Department of Prosthodontics, increasing the opportunities for students to avail of quality dental education.
The College is blessed with a talented student pool which is reflected in various accomplishments of its pupils. Its undergraduates and postgraduates are presenting various papers and posters at National & International conferences. They even are leaving a mark on society by various activities like organizing camps regularly or by setting up personalized centre’s. Speaking about this, the founder shares, “the College has adopted two satellite clinics in a remote area. An implant centre and Tobacco cessation centre have been established in the College.”
Visualizing Growth
Talking about future goals, the founder shares with sparkling eyes, “Our prestigious college envisions going forward, improving, and expanding the definition of community to include more people, places and spread information far beyond our physical reach, and allow for greater individualization, creativity, and collaboration.”
Adding on, he further says, “This place provides a platform for learning through various advanced methodology and technology that aid in exhibiting various clinical activities in professional life, and also enhances one’s personal and physical well-being in society through various extra-curricular activities ongoing on the campus.”
