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India has a serious oral health problem. 

You might well be saying “Cheese” at the drop of a hat, but your smiles could be hiding cavities, caries, and years of tooth decay. 

According to the National Oral Health Programme, Indians do not take dental health as seriously as some other illnesses, and often end up neglecting oral care. The problem is compounded by the fact that there is a dearth of dental healthcare workers in India.

In June 2020, FMCG and oral care giant Colgate launched teledentistry platform DentistsforMe to help patients stay connected with dental experts even during the pandemic. But Colgate is not the only one to stake steps towards ensuring better access to dental care in India. 

Dr. Pranjan Mitra, along with his childhood friend Satyajeet Pradhan, launched Bengaluru-based DentaMitra in July 2020 to provide teledentistry services. The platform uses AI to diagnose oral problems during video consultations.

“The dental app brings dentistry to the fingertips and also to the doorstep through a clinic on suitcase trolley,” Founder Satyajeet tells YourStory.

Today, on World Oral Health Day, we bring you a list of homegrown dental technology startups that are empowering Indians with the knowledge, tools, access, and treatment for their oral problems. Read more.

The Interview

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are trying to find ways to optimise costs, improve productivity, and explore unique growth opportunities via digital transformation. In a fireside chat with YourStory, Alok Mishra, Operating Partner and COO for India at General Atlantic, on ‘Enabling digital transformation for MSME growth,’ he spoke about programmes such as ‘Global Bharat’ that can introduce greater efficiencies and augment business value for MSMEs. Watch the video. 

Editor’s Pick: Turning Point

Hailing from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, Anshul Shrivastava quit his job at IT major Mindtree because he wanted to change “how small towns are perceived when it comes to work opportunities.” 

“I chose Rewa because it is my hometown. I wanted to provide employment opportunities to our youth, who would have otherwise migrated to bigger cities in search of a job,” he says.

With his goal in mind, he started AxleWeb Technologies in 2019 to build chatbots for companies like Slack, WhatsApp, Facebook, Amazon’s Alexa Skills, Google Home Actions, and more. Read more. 

Startup Spotlight

Bhubaneswar startup EzeRx brings world’s first non-invasive treatments

For a large majority of us who have dreaded invasive blood tests, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to Bhubaneswar-based startup EzeRx and its unique non-invasive device that allows you to get your blood tests done at an affordable price and in record time — and all this without having to draw a single drop of blood. 

Partha Pratim Das, the co-founder of this Made in India device, demonstrates how the portable device can check for five different blood parameters — haemoglobin, oxygen saturation, bilirubin, creatinine, and blood glucose levels — by simply placing the patient’s finger on the device. Read more. 

News & Updates

• Twitter has sought public opinion on whether world leaders should be subject to the same set of rules as others on the microblogging platform and appropriate enforcement action in case of violation of norms by them.

• India’s economy is likely to grow by 12 percent in 2021, following a 7.1 percent contraction last year as near-term prospects have turned more favourable, Moody’s Analytics said. It saw real GDP growth of 12 percent in the 2021 calendar year, partially due to a low base-year comparison.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

“More people will access doctors, especially specialist doctors, through their smartphones and get their care delivered. This is an inevitable change that’s definitely accelerated by COVID-19.” 

— Prasad Kompalli, Co-founder and CEO, Mfine

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