New Delhi, 20 March (H.S.): The Central Government has constituted the National Dental Commission (NDC) in place of the Dental Council of India (DCI), along with three autonomous boards, to overhaul regulation of dental education and practice in the country. The move aims to introduce transparent, quality‑driven reforms and expand access to affordable oral healthcare nationwide.

Notifications establishing the NDC and its supporting bodies were issued on March 19, 2026, and the new framework has come into force from the same date. With the enforcement of the National Dental Commission Act, the Dentists Act, 1948 stands repealed and the Dental Council of India has been dissolved.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has appointed experienced and distinguished experts to lead the commission and its boards. Dr. Sanjay Tewari has been named Chairperson of the NDC, while Dr. Mousumi Goswami has been appointed as a part‑time member.

Three autonomous boards have been set up under the NDC:

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dental Education Board (UPDE‑DB): Dr. Chandrasekhar Janakiram as Chairperson; Dr. Shailesh Madhav Lele as Full‑time Member; and Dr. Nagaraj M as Part‑time Member.

Dental Assessment and Rating Board (DAR‑DB): Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Nandakishore Sahu as Chairperson; Dr. Himanshu Airen as Full‑time Member; and Dr. Pariamala Tyagi as Part‑time Member.

Ethics and Dental Registration Board (EDR‑DB): Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Tapas Kumar Banerjee as Full‑time Member; Dr. Usha Hegde as Full‑time Member; and Dr. Swarg Jyoti Das as Part‑time Member.

The NDC’s mandate includes framing regulations to implement the NDC Act, carrying out rating and assessment of dental institutions, evaluating human resources, promoting dental research, issuing guidelines for fee regulation in private dental colleges, and setting standards for community dental care, education, research and professional ethics.

The three boards will respectively oversee dental education, accreditation and institutional evaluation, and professional conduct and registration.

Arindam Modak will serve as the Secretary of the NDC, heading the secretariat. The government has described the NDC as a decisive shift toward a more transparent, accountable and quality‑oriented regulatory regime in dentistry.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar