New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS): The Indian Army is developing technology that could make oral implants more efficacious and readily available for men and women in the forces as well as civilians, President Pranab Mukherjee said Saturday.

Addressing the Second South East Asia Implant Symposium on 'Implant Esthetics', Mukherjee said: "I also gather that dental tourism as a concept has caught the imagination of foreign visitors, who would like to take advantage of the high quality of implant services and related treatment that are more affordable in India".

He said the Dental Council of India proposes to take up the study of the epidemiology of oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral cancer.

"I am told that the Army Dental Corps, together with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), are presently developing indigenous technology that can make implants all the more efficacious and readily available to our armed forces and civilian population," the president said.

He said a continuous assessment of ethical, socio-economic and legal implications of courses of treatment should be undertaken, and that institutions should be accountable for the healthcare solutions they adopt.