REVIEW OF DENTISTRY IN WEST AFRICA- CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS.

Oral health as an integral component of overall health is provided by dental professionals (Dental surgeons/stomatologists, hygienists, dental nurses, technicians, community extension workers). Oral diseases in West Africa are dominated by gum/periodontal diseases, dental caries, orofacial trauma, cancrum oris/noma and oral cancer. Human resources and infrastructure for oral health services in West Africa are skewed towards the urban areas where the rich live, while the rural poor have relatively little or no human resources and infrastructure. The development of human resources for oral health started much later than for other health services in West Africa. In all countries, the training of dentists at undergraduate level started after independence. In Nigeria, postgraduate training in dental surgery took off more than 10 years after the graduation of the first set of undergraduate dental surgeons. To meet contemporary realities for improved dental services with a substantial reduction of all oral health diseases in the region, there is need to review the 1998 WHO health strategies.