Streetside dentists still popular in India

Bangalore

IGNORING noisy buses and curious onlookers, street dentist Allah Baksh plunges his hands into a patient's mouth to fit a sparkling set of dentures for US$12 in the Indian city of Bangalore.

With his plastic stool, mirror and glass cases of teeth on display, Mr Baksh is among hundreds of such dentists frowned upon by their licensed counterparts. But the 54-year-old insists he is providing an essential service to tens of millions of poor who cannot afford a visit to a clinic.