UPDATED: June 26, 2021 14:18 IST Dr Sangeeta Talwar at work at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences; Photo by Yasir Iqbal 1. Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi 1. Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi Guru Speak | Dr Sangeeta Talwar Director, Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, New Delhi "Dentistry requires students to have exposure to patients—the practical aspect is crucial in our curriculum. Last year, after establishing Covid protocols and SOPs, we restarted our clinical programme in November, though it was halted when the second wave hit this March. But even at the peak of both waves, the residents (postgraduate students) and faculty continued to perform dental surgeries; the hospital was not shut for even a day. The entire institute has learned to conduct RT-PCR tests, and we hold refresher training for Covid diagnosis at regular intervals. This has helped us stay safe. For the undergraduate students, post the second wave, teaching has gone completely online. However, to make things interesting and promote inter-disciplinary learning, we sometimes conduct classes for the entire batch of 250 UG students at one go. For example, we had a class on diagnosis, treatment and rehab for black fungus patients, since it was largely related to dentistry. Faculty from various streams made presentations, and it was well received. We have also started teledental consultations, for which there is a roster involving UG and PG students, the faculty and some consultants. We have seen the demand for consultations grow, particularly since not all patients are emergency cases, and this is also a good way to treat non-emergency patients safely. Tele-dental consultations have helped us continue with the practical aspect of dentistry.”