DENTISTRY: A COURSE OF STUDY AT THE HIGHER INSTITUTION

 

The thought of the course to study at the university never crossed my mind until my final year in secondary school. I simply filled in medicine in my jamb form as I knew next to nothing about the next level of my life post secondary school education.

I was only moving to the next stage; all I knew a science student could study was medicine and the jamb brochure identified it as medicine and surgery.

My success in the jamb examination determined my fate.

I was offered dentistry by my school of first choice because I scored short of the required for medicine, and dentistry was considered the sister course. Hmm, dentistry! I wondered what it was as it was new to my hearing besides i didn’t know what any course entailed at the time, other than the fact that anyone who studied medicine would be a doctor.

The only understanding that I had was that the doctor gave the injection, as I encountered that several times.

I accepted to study dentistry as I had no choice. Unknown to me, my father had made enquiries from his dentist who fabricated a removable partial denture to replace his missing upper centrals. He received encouraging information on dentistry as a good choice of course to study at the University and he reassured my daddy of goodness after my graduation.

My older sister also made findings from her friends who were twins, one of them was studying medicine and the other was in dentistry, they were in their second year when I was in my first year. The information she received was not different from what my dad got but neither of them disclosed this to me until later that I got to know.

To the glory of God, I graduated after 7 years of training to earn a ‘Bachelor of Dental Surgery’

It’s been 20 years of practice of dentistry in Nigeria and I am proud of what I have become in my career and family life.

It has given me enough and I am living a fulfilled life despite the odds in my country Nigeria.

To anyone who wishes to study dentistry, feel free to join the train, you will definitely enjoy it. Parents should also encourage their children to study dentistry as opportunities are numerous.

Dental degree: not a limiting factor in your career and life successes

The success stories of Nigerian dentists abound. Let us explore a few of them

Professor Joel Akinosi, rose to a great height from BDS Nigeria to the invention of a dental injection technique for tooth extraction and retired as a Maxillofacial surgeon of repute. The nonagenarian is alive in good health.

Professor Ogunbodede a community dentist, researcher of repute and excellent administrator

recently completed his tenure as the number one staff (Vice Chancellor) of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife  in Osun state.

Professor Onatolu, Odukoya a renowned dentist, academician per excellence and clinician of repute. From BDS Lagos Nigeria through Harvard University to the number one (Chief Medical Director) person that directed the affairs of the foremost health facility in Nigeria; Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) from 1999-2007 and retired in 2020 in the Department of Oral Biology and Oral Pathology LUTH. He is alive and well

Professor Adeyemo Wasiu Lanre is a dentist and specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He is the current Chief Medical Director of the popular Lagos University Teaching Hospital, a tertiary health centre in Nigeria that is a force to reckon with in health care delivery in Nigeria. The Nigerian Senate committee recently commended his leadership on hospital resource management.

Dr Tahjudeen Adisa B. Sanusi, a dentist recently concluded his 5-year tenure as the registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). The body that regulates the practice of Medicine, Dentistry and Alternative Medicine in Nigeria. He performed brilliantly well to handover to the current registrar.

Professor Abdulazeez Butali, a dentist has performed a lot of wonders with his BDS Lagos degree to become an international researcher who resides in the US. He has won several grants in the area of genomics and is still active in the business of dental research

Dr Folashade Yemi Esan a University of Ibadan-trained dentist is the current head of civil service in Nigeria with outstanding performance in her line of duties.

There are many more successful dentists in Nigeria, and too numerous to mention. Many of them operate the best dental care facilities like SCHUBBS Dental Clinic with many branches in Lagos owned by Dr Bode Karunwi and the age long dental care facility of Mrs Angela Patricia Giwa Osagie also located in Lagos Nigeria.

The majority of Nigerian dentists are professors and Drs. in Nigerian dental schools.

In essence, Dentistry as a career path is a good one with an abundance of opportunities, it does not limit anyone to be whom and what one wishes to be, and rather it can propel one to a great height.