Stanford – Elsevier featured Dr Anwar T. Merchant among the top scientists based on his career-long data.

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Dr Anwar T Merchant, who started his career as a Senior Instructor at the Department of Community Health Sciences at Aga Khan University, Karachi, is now a Professor at the University of South Carolina at Columbia, South Carolina.

Dr Merchant is a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) from Shiraz University, Iran. In 1989, he completed his Masters of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard School of Public Health, USA. He went on to get a Doctor of Science (ScD) in Nutritional and Epidemiology from the same institute. Here, he also worked as a Research Fellow and Research Associate.

He then worked as an Assistant Professor at McMaster University, Canada. He routinely reviews manuscripts and grant applications for leading national and international journals and funding agencies, including for the Journal of the American Dental Association, Journal of Dental Research, Journal of the Dental Association of Thailand, and Journal of Pakistan Dental Association, where he also serves as an International Advisory Board member. 

He is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology and has been a member of several professional bodies, including the American Diabetes Association, International Association for Dental Research, and Society for Epidemiologic Research.

He has successfully conducted numerous clinical researches in both medical and dental areas. He has also been frequently invited as a guest speaker and examiner in different conferences and universities worldwide.

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Dental News: Briefly tells us about your background in dentistry?

Dr Anwar: Shiraz (formerly Pahlavi) University in Iran, where I studied dentistry, had an excellent library. I had to find an original research paper for a class at some point. That was the first time I was introduced to Index Medicus. This set of volumes was published yearly and contained citations of all the medical literature published in the prior year by topic and author. After going through several heavy volumes (this was the pre-computer era), I found the citation I was searching for and wrote it down on paper. Next, I went through rows of archived journals to find the article and took it to the photocopy machine (yes, we had those). After that, I knew where to find new information.

I worked as a general dentist in Karachi many years later, and I got to know a group of prominent dentists in the city through dental society meetings. We met approximately once a month to discuss compelling cases or published research over dinner. People from that group started conducting their research and even established the Journal of the Pakistan Dental Association Karachi, in which I published my first paper. I wrote that by hand, had it typed out at a typing institute near my clinic, and hand-delivered it to the editor's office.

My interest in public health grew from volunteering with the Aga Khan Health Board. That institution conducted medical examinations for school-aged children and noticed that many had terrible teeth. For several years, I screened the children for oral health, established mobile dental clinics to do fillings, and started a fluoride gel application program to prevent caries. That was when I felt the need to be better trained in public health and left for a year to do a Master's in Public Health at Harvard. While working at Aga Khan University, I had the opportunity to conduct research and developed an interest in epidemiology.

Dental News: What are the biggest challenges that the field of research is facing in Pakistan?

Dr Anwar: Modern medical and dental research is a broad-based endeavour integrating and synthesizing information from the laboratory, clinical practice, and populations. The biggest challenge in conducting research is developing and sustaining a critical mass of expertise in these diverse content areas. This is a long-term commitment requiring a three-pronged approach. The first step is developing a culture where research findings are analyzed, interpreted, and used to guide clinical and policy decisions. The second step is developing and nurturing a workforce with the required expertise. Finally, it provides the workforce with a viable career path based on merit. The last point is critical.

A system that rewards merit, attracts and retains the best minds becomes the engine that drives innovation

The National Institutes of Health in the United States is a leading example. However, research can flourish on a much smaller scale if the endeavour is based on the same principles. For example, Thailand has developed a robust dental research program at a much lower cost than the US.

Dental News: Are there opportunities for fresh graduates abroad in dental research?

Dr Anwar: The undergraduate dental curriculum provides graduates with an excellent foundation in human health and the basic sciences.

 The best way for dental graduates to enter the research field is to get additional training in specific areas such as epidemiology, health policy, biostatistics, behavioural health, molecular biology, or any of the basic sciences.

Data sciences and artificial intelligence are also emerging areas relevant for health research

Dental News: Why do you think Pakistani dental researchers are not at par globally?

Dr Anwar: The research infrastructure in Pakistan is in its infancy. Apart from at elite institutions, there are few opportunities for dental research.

Dental News; Do you think there's a lack of a research curriculum at the undergrad level, your comment?

Dr Anwar: At a minimum, the undergraduate dental curriculum should prepare graduates to critically analyze and interpret published research, thus preparing them for lifelong learning and staying up to date with new knowledge.                                                      

Dental News: What are the significant challenges facing the dental community today? 

Dr Anwar: The high cost of dental care is possibly the most significant challenge worldwide. Advances in dentistry are impressive but remain out of reach for most people. More research is needed to prevent oral disease and provide dental care to more people, particularly to the less wealthy segments of society. Even known preventive care is not universally available. For example, fluoride varnish application on newly erupted primary teeth prevents childhood caries. It is well-established, inexpensive, and takes a couple of minutes at a pediatric or primary care clinic.

Fluoride varnish application on newly erupted primary teeth prevents childhood caries but is underutilized. By the time a child sees a dentist, it is often too late because caries has developed.

Dental news: What are the recent advancements in dental research?

Dr Anwar: There have been impressive advances in technology, materials, understanding of basic mechanisms of oral disease, and the connection between oral and systemic health.

Dental News: Any last messages for young dental students?

Dr Anwar: A couple of decades ago, the problem was too little information, and today it is too much information. Learn to distinguish between good research and that which is questionable. Do not depend upon Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social media because they are often the source of fake news. 

Be curious and keep up to date with changes in dentistry