SOA’s faculty of dental sciences is India’s first to get Cochrane Affiliate

Bhubaneswar: Institute of Dental Sciences (IDS), the faculty of dental science of city-based Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA), has become the first and only dental institution in India to get the status of Cochrane Affiliate under Cochrane India Network.

Cochrane, established in 1993, is a British non-profit organization involving global independent network of researchers, health professionals, patients and health-related policymakers which aims at providing trusted evidence, enable informed decisions and ensure better health of the public.

The organization works on medical and oral health related research findings to facilitate evidence based choices on health interventions. It also maintains an official relationship with the World Health Organization and involves the public through community participation to produce systematic reviews and other outputs.

Rigorous application procedures, infrastructure and support provided by SOA, a Deemed to be University, and Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, enabled IDS to achieve this affiliate status, Prof. Neeta Mohanty, Dean of IDS, said.

IDS aims at disseminating high quality and relevant scientific information to health care seekers in their local language which would help the public to receive the best possible health care information and aid them in decision making, she said.

Other eminent institutions which are part of the Cochrane India Network include Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, AIIMS, New Delhi, Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).