The Indian Endodontic Society has awarded its prestigious IES Medal of Honor for 2025 to Dr. N. Rajeeva Shetty, marking a significant achievement as he becomes the first endodontist from Karnataka to receive this honor. The award was presented during the inaugural ceremony of the IES National Congress held in Goa on November 1, with Goa”s Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and Dr. M.R. Srinivasan, President of the Indian Endodontic Society, in attendance.
Dr. N. Rajeeva Shetty is a distinguished educator, having served as the principal and head of the Department of Government Dental College in Bengaluru. He holds the unique distinction of being the first Indian dentist appointed as the Director of Medical Education by a State Government in India.
Born on April 25, 1933, in Mangaluru, Karnataka, Dr. Shetty graduated from Madras University in 1957 and began his career as a lecturer at the newly established Government Dental College in Bengaluru. He pursued his Master”s degree in Operative Dentistry at Bombay University and completed a specialized certificate program in endodontics and pediatric dentistry at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. His expertise lies in root canal treatments.
Dr. Shetty played a crucial role in establishing the first Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics in Karnataka at the Government Dental College, significantly contributing to the field. After retiring from government service in 1991, he continued to influence the profession through his teachings and mentorship.
In recognition of his extensive contributions to dentistry, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences conferred upon him an honorary doctorate, Honoris Causa, Doctor of Science, in 2015. Additionally, he received the Rajyotsava Award from the Karnataka government in 2005, one of the state”s highest civilian honors, acknowledging his decades of dedicated service and excellence in the field of dentistry.
