Dr. Benosh Haris,dentist from Kochi,was ahead of time in early 2000s,creating online platform for dental professionals long before telemedicine and professional networking went mainstream. His venture,Netodontist.com,came from small clinic in Edapally . Saw it as digital space connecting dentists and patients.
Haris's journey began with simple encounter . A patient found him vice. Sparked epiphany: internet could bridge gap between dentist in Kerala and potential patients worldwide. “Most people knew about email and would visit few websites,but they didn’t understand its business value or its potential for connectivity,” he recalled.
In 2001, Haris launched Netodontist, platform that would eventually include features reminiscent of social networking and online consultations. Operating on a 512 kbps internet connection,he worked late into night developing site. “If you had come to me year ago,I wouldn’t have thought any of this was newsworthy,” he said,reflecting on how he had quietly moved on from that chapter of his life .
Despite obscurity today,Netodontist was bold step in India’s early internet landscape. Haris collaborated with programmer,designer,often struggling to pay them fully. Their goal: create multi-layered digital ecosystem for dental professionals. Platform featured public-facing side for patient interaction and professional network called Dentist Club.
Jothish Narayanan,future director at Kochi-based IT firm Sorice Solutions,was one of early contributors. He recalled initial meetings with Haris,where they discussed portal ideas. “Haris used to do his practice in mornings,so I would go there in evenings,” Narayanan said. They worked on coding,design,often with outdated tech .
The Dentist Club launched in 2001, two years before LinkedIn and four years before first major physician social network, Sermo, appeared in U.S. Haris’s platform let dentists connect,schedule appointments, share knowledge. Archived snapshots show members-only section with job listings,alumni groups, discussion forums,marketplace for dental equipment .
At peak, Dentist Club had around 400 to 500 members, notable given India had approximately 70,000 to 80,000 registered dentists then. Haris aimed to create space where dentists could stay connected with peers and access resources relevant to their profession .
Another big feature of Netodontist was Online Consultant module, introduced 2003 . This tool allowed dentists to conduct real-time consultations with patients,something that would take off years later . “I believed online consultation would become massive driver,but that only really materialized during COVID in 2020,” Narayanan noted.
Reflecting on early venture,Haris acknowledged it was unique chapter in India's digital history. He built platform far ahead of its time,features that seemed revolutionary in a country where internet usage was still nascent. Archived pages of Netodontist serve as testament to his foresight and ambition in rapidly evolving digital landscape…
