Local and National Needs of Programmed Offered

The prevalence, distribution and impact of largely preventable oral health diseases place a huge burden on scarce resources within the health system in South Africa. The oral disease profile, potential burden of oral diseases and the oral consequences of health problems indicate that strategies and interventions need to be addressed at various levels such as promotion, prevention, therapeutic and curative measures.

Given the historical and social context of communities in South Africa across the social and economic spectrum, the dental therapists and oral hygienists are able to provide appropriate oral health care in both disadvantaged communities and in sophisticated high technologically advanced clinical settings. All preventive and promotive oral health interventions are developed within integrated health strategies that are in response to social accountability, with recognition of sound ethical practice. 

The National Department of Health describes a shortage of dental therapists and oral hygienists in the country. The Department’s document, A National Human Resources Plan for Health to provide skilled human resources for healthcare adequate to take care of all South Africans (2006), has recommended that the number of dental therapists trained should be increased from 25 per year to 600 by the year 2009. This document states that, “dental therapists are critical to provision of Primary Health Care (oral health).” (Department of Health 2006)
In terms of the university’s commitment to community upliftment, these programmes will produce graduates that can address the unmet oral health needs that exist in both urban and rural areas. The programmes will also increase access for previously disadvantaged students through its marketing and recruitment strategies.