Professor Siddharth Gupta being represented at Rashtrapati Bhavan on various occasions with Hon. President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee (Photo courtesy : Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi)
From spending time in Chennai, one of the metropolitan capital city of Tamil Nadu, India’s Southern hub for education and ancient Deccan heritage for a post-graduation and dissertation at prestigious The Tamil Nadu Dr M.G.R Medical University, during his university days to becoming one of the recognized Indian faces in the speciality of Oral Medicine & Maxillofacial Imageology, Professor Siddharth Gupta professional journey is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Just in Print finds out more about the Chennai studied & academically studded Doctor.
One of the prominent Oro-Dental Diagnostician & Maxillofacial Imageologist in India, the only Indian Dental Surgeon having been represented at International SPIEF (Russia) , initiator of Confluence India & one of the Founding Member of SETU, Academic Member of ATINER (Athens Institute of Education & Research) –this Oro-dental physician’s career is filled with a copious amount of notable achievements and remarkable work in the field of Oral Medicine & Radiology and work on Skill development & Health entrepreneurship.
A dental graduate from Dr B.R. Ambedkar University (Subharati Dental College), Dr Siddharth Gupta who has been in this profession for more than a decade, is presently with I.T.S Dental College, Hospital and Research Centre, Greater Noida.
In an enlightening chat, Dr Gupta speaks to us about his journey towards the exhilarating field of OMDR, his professional life as a doctor, the state of Oral Medicine in India and more…..
Tell us about your background-your education and your journey towards healthcare
I was born in Aligarh and was there for few days, before my parents moved to Bareilly. For the first five years of my life, I spent time in Bareilly and attended Bishop Conrad & Hartmann, along with my elder brother Kshitij Gupta. My father, who worked for Uttar-Pradesh Government, was transferred to various cities in U.P, thereby; I had a chance of my schooling done from varied cities, but majorly from Hartmann, Bareilly.
Since beginning, my inquisitiveness into healthcare piqued my interest in becoming a physician, though, for Oro-dental physician; I developed interest upon completion of dental graduation, followed which, I then applied to The Tamil Nadu Dr M.G.R Medical University.
Why did you choose the field of Oral Medicine and Radiology? Tell us about your professional journey in OMR
The field of Oral Medicine & Radiology (OMR) was very young when I was first exposed to it. When I went to dental school, there were hardly any academicians specializing in Oral Medicine & Radiology in North India, I was always intrigued by the bustle of the concepts of this subject as a speciality. It was at this time, I decided to venture into the field of Oral Medicine and Radiology.
OMR was more advanced in Tamil Nadu and Southern India than in North, I once again decided to take the plunge and this made me among one of the academician in this speciality. Till then, the brand new field had very few trained specialists and the Boards I passed were helpful in gaining academic reputation to Noida /NCR, the place where I belong.
You have published various Scientific Papers, given lectures and co-chaired conferences. Could you tell us more about it?
My first Scientific Presentation was in historic city Hyderabad in 2003 at Ramoji , and later at Bangalore 2004 and since then till today I have read, numerous Scientific Presentations, presented E-posters, participated in various Symposiums, Continuing Dental / Medical education programmes, International and National Conferences and Conventions. The advantage of such symposia is that the speakers had to prepare their lectures in advance, the scientific material had to be reviewed by an independent body, conflict of interest issues had to be resolved etc. This led to a much higher standard for Professional OMR speciality Conferences run across the country.
My interest in these areas has allowed me to participate in more than sixty Scientific /speciality conferences, publish over twenty-five scientific papers in International and National Journals and abstracts and over a dozen health care articles related to general population.
I have also chaired over fifteen scientific sessions in the speciality, with two of them in Athens and have been a part of Scientific & Organizing committee for International Conference of Health and Medical Sciences at ATINER 2016.
with mantra of “Miles to go before I sleep…” I hope that the Indian political and medical leadership support and strengthen the efforts to further improve Oral Medicine and Dental Radiology in India.
What other societies are you part of?
I belong to several organizations: Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology (IAOMR), ATINER( Academic Member of Athens Institute of Medical Education and Research), SPIEF (Saint Petersburg, Russia), SETU (Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Totality) for Health & Confluence India.
What are the latest global trends in Oral Medicine and Radiology?
Recent global trends in the speciality are Cone beam computed tomography for imaging maxillofacial region which has many advantages over conventional computed tomography. Moreover, introduction of advanced diagnostic modalities for detecting oral /oro-pharyngeal cancer –velscope, vizilite chemiluminescence at an early stage in oral cavity is of paramount importance in management of patients with early oral potentially malignant disorders.
What is the scope for Oral Medicine Doctors in India especially among young professionals?
For budding specialist in India, cone beam computed tomography is an upcoming field and bound to develop more in the coming future. Furthermore, speciality training in management of systemic disorders as an overall management in health care system is also gaining much importance to pace with the scope in medical and dental hospitals.
A little about your family and how they have supported you in your career?
My family members are very supportive of my work, being with parents and family members is an added blessing and an immense inspiration. My wife , Dr Nitasha Gupta a dental graduate from Erstwhile King George Medical University, Lucknow is both career and family oriented and we have a daughter, Shubhi who is also an equally academically driven even in her childhood days and thereby inspire me to work more and achieve more in my professional spheres.
How do you unwind when you are not working? What are your hobbies and interests?
When I come home, I unwind by writing on varied topics for vernacular media and print media. I love to work on Skill development for which I have been thankful to SETU Foundation in health care arena and I enjoy travelling, family excursions, reading and participate in welfare programmes for society.
