Dental manpower needs in a developing community: a critical analysis of the West African scene

Research findings from various countries in West Africa clearly indicate that over 94 per cent of the adult population above 40 years of age suffer from periodontal disease in various degrees of severity. Those living in rural areas in West Africa, where dental health care services are not yet available, suffer more from this common disease. With progressive urbanization and changes in diet and eating habits, consumption of refined sugars is rising steeply (Table II) and dental caries has become a serious problem particularly in children from high socioeconomic homes. In Nigeria, DMF of 4-3 in the female and 3-9 in the male has been reported. There is general paucity of all cadres of dental manpower in all areas in West Africa. Dentist: population ratios range from 1 : 111,000 in Senegal to 1 : 1,935,000 in Tchad Republic (Table I). In Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria, Dental schools have been established and attempts are being made to meet the pressing need for dental manpower by the expansion of existing treatment centres and training institutions and the establishment of new ones (Table IV & V). Emphasis is laid on preventive dental health care programmes and the formal training of dental auxiliary personnel: Dental Therapists, Dental Hygienists, Dental Technicians and Dental Surgery Assistants, is taking place in Nigeria and Senegal. Dental Nurses/Therapists and Dental Hygienists if adequately trained in sufficient numbers can play an all-important role in the delivery of dental care and the execution of preventive programmes in the vast rural areas in the developing countries of West Africa with a population of over 122 million people.