Health ministry embraces digital dental training center

By Violet Nabatanzi & Juliet Waiswa

The ministry of health has welcomed the inauguration of a digital dental training center in Uganda that will significantly help in the field of dentistry.

Peter Nyamutale, the deputy registrar of Allied Health Professional's Council, said the facility in Naguru, Kampala comes at a time when there are few dental training centres and so will help dental surgeons acquire unique skills.

 Pan Dental Surgery chief executive Dr. Tom Mutyabule says the centre will train dentists and dental surgery assistants in the art of operating digital dentistry.

It is understood the training centre with digital equipment is one of the biggest in Sub-Sahara Africa.

It will provide training for dentists who are already practising in private and public hospitals, interns, among others.

“Most dentists who have qualified have not been engaged in training yet there is modern technology. Digital dentistry is the modern way of doing dentistry – which is faster and easier to a patient," said Mutyabule.

The training centre, which will also serve people in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and other countries, was funded partly by Sirona Dental Systems, a South African company.

"Our mandate is to make sure that health workers have continuous training. So the digital centre will help health graduates with training skills,' said Nyamutale.

He adds that they are going to examine the curriculum and see the courses which will be offered and thereafter will go to National Council for Higher Education for accreditation.

"Originally in this country we had public health dental officers with diplomas and dental surgeons. The dental assistants work hand-in-hand with the dentists. This centre will train certificate holders.

"With this kind of technology from Sirona, dentists are able to serve the patients in a short time.”

On his part, Mutayabule said that at the moment they have the mandate to train undergraduates from Makerere University, and that students who are on internship will also have hands-on experience from the centre.

Louis Muwazi, the dean of Dental School at Makerere University said that “although our education is clear, we still need trainings for our students”.