Clarifying the scope of practice for dentists, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel told the Rajya Sabha that Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (OMFS) trained under the Dental Council of India’s (DCI) MDS Course Regulations, 2017, are allowed to perform aesthetic surgical procedures and select hair-restoration procedures, strictly limited to the cranio-maxillofacial region.
The statement came in response to questions from MP Vivek K Tankha, who asked whether the DCI permits OMFS to perform aesthetic dermatology procedures, whether such permissions exceed the statutory mandate of the DCI, and if they conflict with the provisions of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019. He also sought clarification on potential public safety or regulatory concerns and whether the government plans advisories or coordination mechanisms between DCI and NMC to address overlaps.
Minister Patel emphasized that OMFS specialists receive extensive postgraduate training. “Their domain is distinct from dermatology and general medicine, and the scopes of DCI and NMC remain complementary rather than conflicting,” she said. She added that the government encourages inter-regulatory coordination to ensure patient safety, regulatory clarity, and the integrity of professional practice.
The Minister referred to earlier NMC guidelines on aesthetic surgery and hair transplant procedures, issued on September 20, 2022. The guidelines specify that hair transplantation should preferably be performed by surgeons with formal surgical training, such as MCh/DNB Plastic Surgery or MD/DNB Dermatology, while aesthetic procedures should only be undertaken by RMPs with adequate training in their specialty curricula.
The NMC emphasized that aesthetic and hair-restoration procedures, like all surgeries, carry risks and require proper skills, patient selection, surgical technique, and post-procedure care. The Commission warned against allowing untrained or unregistered individuals to perform these procedures under any “exceptional circumstances.”
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