India, Nov. 15 -- Even as the state government issued a GR on November 8 to ensure that all dental patients get good-quality dental devices such as implants, dentures and orthodontic appliances, dental implants are not available at the BMC's 17 peripheral hospitals. Moreover, most dental departments here do not have a full-time dentist on board and operate with part-time dentists who clock in around four hours a day, offering basic dental services.

At Shatabdi Hospital at Govandi, the dental facility is managed by one part-time dentist who offers services like extraction and cleaning. "We are in the process of starting treatments like root canals," said Dr Shubhangi Gorkhe, chief medical officer.

V N Desai Hospital, Santacruz East, face...