13 Jan Guinea’s first public dental school makes waves across Africa
Untreated dental cavities, gum diseases and tooth loss can lead to life-threatening infections and abscesses. Yet, in Guinea, 40% of one to nine-year-olds have untreated cavities.
With just 3.3 dentists per 100,000 people, much of the population – particularly people living in rural areas – are unable to access timely dental care when they need it.
In 2018, when the Africa Mercy was docked in Conakry, lead dentist Dr David Ugai – now the Mercy Ships Country Director in Guinea – witnessed the overwhelming scope of the dental need in the nation.
“We could stay in Guinea forever and ever and that line would continue to be there,” he shared, speaking about the queues of patients seeking dental care that continued to grow longer and longer as they waited to see the Mercy Ships dental team.
The only way to see lasting results was by tackling the root issue of the nation’s limited dental workforce. Dr Ugai knew that education held the key.
That’s why, by the time the Africa Mercy departed Conakry in June 2019 after a 10-month healthcare service, Dr Ugai had decided to remain in Guinea to launch a first-of-its-kind long-term partnership with The Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC).
Brand new dental school
On 25th September 2024, a healthcare milestone occurred in Conakry, Guinea.
The Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry (UGANC), the nation’s only public dental school, officially opened the doors to its new state-of-the-art training facility, marking the completion of 20 months of construction.
Watch the film to see for yourself
The new 1,500-square-metre space more than doubles the school’s previous capacity for dental students to learn, practice, and treat patients; enabling them to reach a higher level of professional excellence while addressing the critical gap in dental care.
On the day of the opening ceremony, the air buzzed with a fresh excitement. Attendees, including the nation’s Minister of Higher Education Mr Alpha Bacar Barry, spoke about the importance of the expansion.
“We know that the population in our country is in real need of dental care. This centre is appointed to be a response to meet that need, because you cannot talk about health if you don’t have infrastructure. Having this infrastructure and equipment is a huge blessing for Guinea.”
Training opportunities for all
Before Mercy Ships’ involvement, there was no simulation technology or on-site clinic for students in Guinea. In 2018-19, the partnership introduced simulation and practical training to students with four simulation stations and 10 dental chairs for patient care.
The recent expansion created 30 simulation stations along with 22 dental chairs for patient care, as well as adding labs for practical training and dental prosthodontics.
Cutting edge technologies include a Cone Beam CT scanning machine, which takes detailed 3D images quickly for accurate diagnosis and treatment, as well as an electronic medical management system installed for patient record keeping.
“We are now in a position of being able to give every single student the ability to go through a training, a curriculum, a process, that meets not just Guinea’s standards and accreditation standards,” explains Dr Ugai, “but (builds) toward those international accreditation standards in the future.”
Reaching far beyond Guinea
Over the last few years, Mercy Ships has expanded its partnership with UGANC to include sponsoring international students, expanding the scope of training beyond Guinea itself.
Students studying at UGANC now represent a variety of African nations, such as Benin, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone.
Ruth Catraye, is a student dentist from Benin. Ruth watched as the university clinic in her home country was forced to shut down.
“There were not enough teachers, there was no practical training during the lessons, and the students were not really getting odontology lessons, so it had to close,” Ruth explains. “Currently, we don’t have a single faculty in Benin which would enable us to live off the work we love, so it’s rather difficult for the students who want to progress in this field.”
Without resources like the university clinic, Ruth says many people in need of dental care – particularly those in rural areas of the country – suffer with untreated pain and face the health complications that often arise.
Ruth plans to return to her country and, along with her fellow Beninese graduates, reopen the dental school and ensure quality care is more widely available once again.
“I’m going home to serve my country and help young people like me, who dream of becoming dental surgeons, to progress in this field,” Ruth says.
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