Source: Ebenezer Madugu
UK-based Ghanaian dental surgeon and Smile4Ghana Team Lead, Dr Dennis Brown, has described the future of dentistry in Ghana as bright, praising Entrance University of Health Sciences for helping to train more dental professionals in the country.
Speaking to our journalists, Ebenezer Madugu and Yaw Preko, during the ongoing 8th Smile4Ghana outreach in Cape Coast, Dr Brown said Ghana urgently needs more dentists to improve oral healthcare delivery.
According to him, Ghana currently has only about 400 active dentists serving a population of more than 35 million people.
“The future is bright if we push it,” he said. “Ghana now has about four or five dental schools, and Entrance University is the first private dental school. As we train more dentists, awareness will increase and more people will seek dental care.”
Dr Brown commended Entrance University and the Tobinco Group for supporting the outreach with cash donations and medicines worth more than GH¢40,000.
He said the support would help patients who cannot afford treatment, especially those needing antibiotics and medication after dental procedures.
Smile4Ghana is a charity organisation formed by three Ghanaian dentists based in the United Kingdom. The group has organised 15 free dental outreaches across Ghana over the past eight years.
Dr Brown explained that the project aims to give back to communities by providing free dental treatment and health education. He also warned that gum disease remains a major health problem in Ghana and is linked to conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Registrar of Entrance University, Samuel Apeawin, said the university was honoured to support the outreach.
He noted that Ghana faces a serious shortage of dental professionals and stressed the need to train more experts in the field.
Meanwhile, Peter Enti, Community Lead for Smile4Ghana, said a career guidance session would also be held to encourage senior high school students to consider careers in dentistry and related health professions.
The outreach continues in Cape Coast with free dental treatment for residents.