DT News - India - Dr A.P. Chitre: Surgeon, Teacher and Pioneer

Dr. Harshad Adhiya

Sun. 17 May 2026

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The Indian dental fraternity mourns the loss of Dr A.P. Chitre, a highly respected oral and maxillofacial surgeon, teacher and early advocate of oral implantology in India. Widely admired for his surgical excellence, professional integrity and commitment to education, Dr Chitre played an important role in advancing oral and maxillofacial surgery and in shaping implant dentistry during its formative years in the country.

In this personal tribute, Dr Harshad Adhiya, his longtime friend and colleague, reflects on decades of friendship, professional collaboration and shared vision, offering a rare glimpse into the life and legacy of a clinician remembered not only for his skill, but also for his humanity.

Dr A.P. Chitre was two years senior to me at Nair Hospital Dental College (NHDC), yet from our student days onwards, we shared a close rapport that endured throughout his life.

My association with him extended far beyond professional acquaintance. In 1965, he extracted my horizontally impacted third molar with remarkable skill and confidence. Later, he operated twice on a whitlow affecting a finger on my right hand, curing it permanently. Over the decades, he also undertook surgical treatment for many of my relatives and for several of my patients who were willing to travel into the city for his care.

Dr A. P. Chitre & Dr Adhiya

We spent many memorable years together, sharing rooms during conferences, professional meetings and holidays. These occasions revealed not only his brilliance as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, but also his warmth, wit and humanity.

My own interest in oral implantology began in 1981. In June 1987, while attending the Asian Implant Academy Conference, several implant systems were conducting training programmes alongside Nobel Biocare. At that time, the concept of “osseointegration”, introduced by Nobel Biocare, was creating a profound impact on oral implantology.

Dr Chitre was initially sceptical. Having treated numerous failed implant cases of that era, he once remarked that he would “not hesitate to replace the head of the mandible, but would hesitate to insert an implant”. However, after extensive discussion, he agreed to attend the programme. The scientific evidence and clinical possibilities convinced him that oral implants would become indispensable in restoring function and dignity to dentally compromised patients.

It was during that journey that we first envisioned what would eventually become the Indian Society of Oral Implantologists (ISOI). Between 1987 and 1989, after numerous meetings with several like-minded colleagues, the society was formally established.

The early years of ISOI demanded immense dedication. Conferences were held only once every two years, and before a larger support structure emerged, both of us worked tirelessly to strengthen and advance the organisation. We also collaborated on several of my early complex implant cases, combining his surgical expertise with my restorative interests.

Our active involvement in the Indian Dental Association (IDA) kept us professionally connected over the years. During the APDC Mumbai conference in the mid-1990s, Dr Chitre served as Chairman of the Scientific Committee, and at his insistence, I worked closely alongside him on the committee.

These shared experiences allowed me to understand not only his professional brilliance but also the depth of his character and convictions.

Dr A.P. Chitre was an exceptional human being, an outstanding surgeon and a gifted teacher. His contribution to dentistry, oral surgery and implantology will long be remembered by colleagues, students and patients alike.

In recent years, his memory gradually began to fade, while I, too, faced increasing mobility challenges owing to peripheral vascular disease and neuropathy. Despite these challenges, the bond we shared remained strong and deeply meaningful.

The dental profession — and I personally — have suffered an irreparable loss.

Dr Harshad Adhiya
Dental Surgeon
Mumbai, India

_________________

About Dr A.P. Chitre:

Prof. Dr A.P. Chitre was an eminent figure in dental education and oral and maxillofacial surgery, with a distinguished career spanning more than four decades. He completed his BDS from Nair Dental College, Mumbai, in 1962 and his MDS in 1965 under the guidance of Dr M.S.N. Ginwalla. During 1971–72, he also trained under Dr E. Kruger and later received advanced training in West Germany, the UK, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland and the USA.

He was recognised as one of the pioneers of the Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of India (AOMSI) and made significant contributions as a surgeon, academician, researcher and administrator in the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery and implantology.

Throughout his career, Dr Chitre served as an internal and external examiner and adviser for BDS, MDS and DNB examinations at numerous universities across India. He was also a visiting faculty member at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune. Widely respected for his academic contributions, he delivered numerous keynote lectures, orations and scientific presentations at national and international conferences, and published extensively in professional journals.

He held several leadership positions, including President of the Maharashtra State Branch of the Indian Dental Association (IDA), President of the Indian Society of Oral Implantologists (ISOI), and President, Honorary General Secretary and Editor of AOMSI. He also served on the editorial boards of several respected journals, including the International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Journal of the Indian Dental Association and Dental Dialogue, and was Editor-in-Chief of Global Dentistry. In addition, he served on the advisory board of the Indian edition of Quintessence International and acted as an inspector for the Dental Council of India (DCI), Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.

Among his many honours were the Best Student Award (1962), the Government of Maharashtra Postgraduate Scholarship (1963–65), the Arogya Seva Vratti Award (2009), the Famdent Lifetime Achievement Award (2010) and the Vocational Excellence Award (2010). He was also widely known as the author of the Manual of Local Anaesthesia in Dentistry, regarded as one of the most popular books among dental students.

In the later years of his career, Dr Chitre served as a consultant at Goa Dental College, Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre, H.N. Hospital, Larsen & Toubro Ltd and the UAE Embassy, and also acted as a consultant to the Governor of Maharashtra.

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