Poor oral health worries northern dentists

Nigeria Dental Therapists Association says poor access to modern oral health services for rural northern populations is “worrying.” “Therapeutic dental services both in the public and private sectors are only  available mainly in the urban areas,” said Danjuma Ibrahim, president of the association, at a meeting of its northern chapter in Makarfi. “You find that […]

Nigeria Dental Therapists Association says poor access to modern oral health services for rural northern populations is “worrying.”

“Therapeutic dental services both in the public and private sectors are only  available mainly in the urban areas,” said Danjuma Ibrahim, president of the association, at a meeting of its northern chapter in Makarfi.

“You find that in the public sector, oral health services are provided at government general and specialist hospitals only. And these are mainly based in urban areas.

“In the private sector, dental services are only available in the few dental clinics which are also located in major cities,” lamented Ibrahim.

NDTA says apart from occasional visits by dentists from general and specialist hospitals, rural populations in the north have “little or no access” to modern dental treatment.

The meeting attributed the problem in part to lack of unity of purpose among dentists to help them access opportunity in government and organised international bodies.

“We all know that for any trade or labour union to succeed in discharging its primary responsibility of protecting and enhancing the interest of its members, it must establish and maintain a culture of unity, agreement, and harmony,” he said.

According to him, the case of the NDTA establishing such a culture begins and ends with mutual respect and trust among the various stakeholders who have vested interest in the profession.”

Jariri Saulawa, a member, said, “We cannot progress in a fragmented association. We have recognized levels of leadership of NDTA and they all have duly elected leaders in place. To attempt to create parallels to these, only amounts to unnecessary dissent which will not auger well on us as an association of professional.”