Dr. Ravinder Kumar Bali (R.K. Bali) is a prominent Indian dental surgeon and public health dentistry specialist. He is best known as the Founder President of the Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD), established in 1993, and has played a key role in promoting preventive and community oral health across India.

He holds a BDS and an MDS with a focus on Master of Public Health (MPH). Based in Delhi, he has long practised at Bali Medical & Dental Centre (with locations associated with East of Kailash and other areas). His professional work combines clinical dentistry with a strong emphasis on public health, education and community outreach.

In 1993 Dr. Bali founded the Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry with the clear goal of popularising and advancing the study of public health and preventive dentistry in India. The association aims to educate the public on oral health, safeguard the interests of the dental profession, and facilitate the exchange of best practices among practitioners in India and abroad. Under his leadership the organisation grew from a small group into a national body that has organised numerous conferences, postgraduate conventions, continuing dental education programmes and health camps across the country.

He has also served as Chief Regent of the International College of Continuing Dental Education (ICCDE) under the Asia Pacific Dental Federation / Asia Pacific Regional Organization. Through these roles he has worked to raise standards of dental education and care, particularly in preventive aspects that benefit larger communities rather than individual clinical practice alone.

Colleagues and association members often recall his consistent message: “Oral health is not a luxury — it is the foundation of general health. If we educate communities early, we prevent a lifetime of suffering.”

Dr. Bali’s efforts have helped create greater awareness about dental hygiene and preventive care among the public and have supported the professional development of public health dentists. He remains associated with the growth of the specialty in India and continues to be recognised as a pioneering figure in the field of public health dentistry.