Need to train more dentists - Dr Amoateng

Kumasi, Aug. 20, GNA - Dr James Appiah Amoateng, General Secretary of Ghana Dental Association (GDA), has called on Government and stakeholders in health to grant more scholarships to science students to study Dentistry and Dental Engineering. He said such efforts would increase the number of dental surgeons and dental engineers in the country.

Dr Amoateng who is also the Principal Dental Surgeon at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) made the call in an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi on Monday. He said Malaysia, India and Ghana had their independence in the 1950's, but both countries had more dentists than Ghana and attributed the situation to the high cost of dental training in Ghana. Available statistics indicated that Malaysia has 2,193 dentists; India has 34,500 dentists, while Ghana has only 100 dentists and two dental technicians in the country.

Dr Amoateng said currently there were 15 dental students undergoing training at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which was inadequate.

He called for an expansion of the Korle-Bu Dental School to accommodate more students. "The management at KATH is embarking on an expansion exercise for more student dentists to undertake practical training which is part of their training," he said.