The general public has traditionally understood the dental profession largely in terms of drilling and filling patients' teeth. Yet behind the sterile walls of dental clinics lies a substantial ecological footprint. From high levels of water and electricity consumption to mountains of single-use plastic waste, dental practice has significant environmental impacts. Recognizing this reality, a transformative approach has emerged to redesign the environmental impact of dental practice through a radical transition toward a circular economy, or circular care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This urgency became a central topic in a public lecture held as part of the pre-event series of the International Kintar Summer Parcs 2026. Interestingly, this analytical presentation was not delivered by a dentist but by a leading environmental engineering expert, Prof. Dr. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, B.Tech., M.Engg., PhD. Listed among the world's top 2% of scientists according to Stanford University, he challenged the traditional paradigm of dental practitioners through a presentation entitled \u201cFrom Grass to Circular Care: Redesigning the Environmental Impact of Dental Practice Drill, Fill, and Sustain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Waste Myths vs. Carbon Emissions<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the beginning of the session, an interactive survey using Mentimeter showed that most participants, consisting of dental students and academics, assumed that medical waste generation and plastic disposal were the most critical environmental impacts of their clinics. However, Prof. Dr. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, B.Tech., M.Engg., PhD, challenged this misconception by presenting surprising analytical data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEffective sustainability strategies in dentistry must not focus solely on waste management,\u201d emphasized Prof. Dr. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, B.Tech., M.Engg., PhD.\nBased on a case study of dental practice at Mahidol University, Thailand, the primary contributors to the carbon footprint of the dental faculty and clinics actually came from two non-medical sectors: operational electricity consumption and transportation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intensive instrument sterilization, diagnostic imaging, and air-conditioning systems consume substantial amounts of electricity. Furthermore, analytical data from the clinical case study showed that the mobility and travel of patients and staff to and from the clinic were actually among the dominant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concrete Steps and the Single-Use Plastic Dilemma<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although carbon emissions are a major priority, Prof. Dr. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, B.Tech., M.Engg., PhD, emphasized that daily resource consumption in dental clinics also requires serious attention. A single routine patient examination procedure generally consumes approximately 320 grams of single-use plastic, such as masks and latex gloves, as well as around 20 liters of clean water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To reduce these impacts, several research-based solutions are beginning to be implemented across Southeast Asia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through the circular dentistry approach, future dentists are encouraged to rethink every aspect of their operations. Prof. Dr. Chettiyappan Visvanathan, B.Tech., M.Engg., PhD, emphasized that dentists' responsibilities may indeed include drilling and filling, but the shared responsibility across disciplines is to ensure that the entire chain of care is sustainable for the sake of the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reporter ( Nanda , Andri )<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photo: Zoom Meeting Screenshot<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Selama ini, masyarakat umum memahami profesi dokter gigi hanya sebatas rutinitas pengeboran dan penambalan gigi pasien. Namun, di balik ruang klinik yang steril, tersimpan jejak ekologis yang cukup masif bagi lingkungan hidup. Mulai dari penggunaan air dan energi listrik tingkat tinggi hingga gunungan limbah plastik sekali pakai. Menyadari hal tersebut, sebuah pemikiran transformatif digulirkan untuk […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":615,"featured_media":20924,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[359,136,322,328,318,316,327,333],"tags":[302,303,307,289,294,295],"class_list":["post-20922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artikel","category-berita-terbaru","category-sdg-12","category-sdg-13","category-sdg-17","category-sdg-3","category-sdg-6","category-sdg-7","tag-sdg-12-konsumsi-dan-produksi-yang-bertanggung-jawab","tag-sdg-13-aksi-iklim","tag-sdg-17-kemitraan-untuk-mencapai-tujuan","tag-sdg-3-kesehatan-dan-kesejahteraan-yang-baik","tag-sdg-6-air-bersih-dan-sanitasi","tag-sdg-7-energi-yang-terjangkau-dan-bersih"],"gutentor_comment":0,"yoast_head":"\n