Honor for dentist Antia

The Council of The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) of Edinburgh has awarded the Fellowship in Dental Surgery to Dr Framroze E. Antia of Bombay. This was done, without examination, by the RCS on the basis of the 83-year-old dental practitioner’s sterling record of continuous practice for 60 years. Col N. Berry, dental surgeon to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the last Indian dentist to have received this honor three decades back, Antia mentioned to Parsiana.

Dr Framroze Antia: a dream realized

The senior dental surgeon shared that he was encouraged to write to the RCS after reading in the Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh that a dentist from Sri Lanka had been bestowed the fellowship. A licentiate of the RCS of both Edinburgh and London in 1953, Antia had been unable to obtain his fellowship then as he had to return to India under "compelling domestic circumstances.” Antia, who continues to be active as a consultant at the Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, wrote to the dean of the faculty of Dental Surgery of RCS in Edinburgh on July 3, 2013, stating that since he had not been able to return to the UK, "it is now my dream that I be bestowed with an honorary fellowship of RCS, Edinburgh before I leave this world… to ‘go to the Grand Lodge above,’” as the Freemasons would put it, he being one of that fraternity. "I am sure you will find this an unusual request from a senior dental surgeon like me… I am no longer able to produce a proposer or seconder who can endorse my career as they have all predeceased me.”
When RCS president Dr Ian K. Ritchie wrote back on March 10, 2014 informing Antia that his proposal had been approved, the latter was delighted to accept the fellowship, which is a "great honor.”
Antia, who began his career in 1954, was honorary lecturer in children’s dentistry at Nair Dental College, headed the department of pedodontics at the same College and served as head of children’s dentistry there until his retirement. During his long career, the octogenarian has been member of the faculty of dentistry at the University of Bombay, active with the Indian Dental Association holding many offices including as its vice president, written five research papers published in India and abroad, and honorary dental surgeon at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay reveals his bio data.