Universities to study Dentistry in Nigeria are hard to number. However, it is not so hard to handpick universities that are authorized to teach Dentistry in Nigeria. These few universities have been accredited by the National University Commission and have the authority and technicality to teach this course to students.
Dentistry is a branch of medicine that deals with the observation, diagnosis, therapeutic and prophylactic measures taken to tackle oral diseases and disorders. Contrary to the general belief that dentistry is only concerned with the dentition, it is also responsible for the well-being of the buccal cavity, the tissues, and structures that make up the craniofacial complex.
You might have been looking for information on how to go about being a dentist in Nigeria. At the end of thus article, you would have known where the best University to study dentistry is for you, how to gain admission into your university of choice, and what you need to get accepted into that school.
Which is the right University to study Dentistry in Nigeria?
If you ask this from anyone who has gone to study in any higher institution in Nigeria, chances are, you will get a long list of recommendations as to schools that offer dentistry. Whoever gives you that recommendation wouldn’t be wrong. However, you will fare better at getting a better education and recognition if you attend a university that is certified to teach dentistry.
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It is no news to anyone who is familiar with the Nigerian educational system that some tertiary institutions teach courses they are not authorized to teach. Therefore, here is a list of institutions that have been accredited to teach Dentistry in Nigeria.
University of Lagos
A prestigious and excellent academy. University of Lagos, popularly called Unilag, is a foremost tertiary institution of learning in Nigeria. It is one of the best universities to study dentistry in Nigeria and that cannot be contested since it is the oldest dentistry school (established in 1964) in West Africa.
As a prospective student of Dentistry, it is essential to know that Dental Sciences is a faculty under the College of Medicine, located at Idi-Araba, Surulere.
As the oldest dentistry school in West Africa, it is natural that many prospective dentists gravitate towards this school. However, it should be noted that University of Lagos does not accept Part-time students for dentistry.
Options of dental studies available in Unilag include Child Dental Health, Oral Pathology/Biology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Preventive Dentistry, and restorative Dentistry.
This institution should be included in your list of potential universities to study dentistry.
Obafemi Awolowo University
OAU, as it is popularly called, is one of the prestigious universities in Nigeria. It is located in Osun State, and is renowned for its academic excellence. Faculty of Dentistry was formed in the year 1975, and academic work began in 1976.
In the Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, there are four department, as opposed to three departments it had as of 1983. The department in the faculty now are Department of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery and Pathology; Department of Child Dental Health; Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry; and Department of restorative Dentistry.
OAU has been accredited by NUC to offer dentistry as a full course and stand-alone faculty since 1992, and to further its excellence, it has a Dental Hospital on campus, fully operational since 1980.
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife issues a B.Ch.D degree after completion of 6 years of study to graduates of Child Dental Health in the Faculty of Dentistry, and it also takes students for postgraduate programmes.
University of Benin
Popularly called Uniben, the University of Benin is located in the culturally rich state of Edo. It offers numerous courses and dentistry is one of them. The School of Dentistry is a foundational faculty of the university since its inception in 1970.
The School of Dentistry, Uniben, is comprised of six departments, Oral and maxillofacial Pathology and Medicine; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Preventive Dentistry; Restorative Dentistry; Periodontics; and Oral Diagnosis and Radiology.
As one of the accredited universities to study dentistry in Nigeria, it is an excellent choice as it has more departments to choose from, for prospective dentistry students.
University of Ibadan
The Faculty of Dentistry, under the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, was established in 1975. It was accredited in 1978 by the National Medical and Dental Council.
At its inception, the faculty was only one department. However, after its accreditation in 1978, the one department was split into four in 1981. The departments were Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Oral Pathology, Restorative Dentistry, and Preventive Dentistry. In 2002, the Faculty of Dentistry was inaugurated.
Now, the faculty has 5 departments, the new addition being the Department of Child Oral Health Department.
The faculty certifies undergraduates who successfully complete their academic requirement with Bachelor of Dental Science (BDS) and postgraduates with Master in Dental Sciences (MDS).
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Established in 1983, the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is a top university to study dentistry. In 1992, the faculty was closed down due to a hiccup in accreditation. However, in 2004, it was reopened after it had met all the requirement as proposed by the accreditation body.
The faculty, under the College of Medicine, has four departments; Child Dental Health, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Preventive Dentistry, and Restorative Dentistry.
With the institution’s reputation for discouragement of lassitude, this is a university to study dentistry in an academically extra-conscious environment.
Lagos State University
Situated in Ikeja, Lasu, as it is commonly called, has a dental school under the aegis of its College of Medicine. The Faculty of Dentistry was established in 2008 (fairly new, yes), and it has five departments; Department of Child Dental Health, Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine, Department of Restorative Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Department of Preventive Dentistry.
Its dentistry programme is fully accredited by the National Universities Commission and as a testament to its excellence, the faculty won the award of The Best Performing Faculty in the University, in the 2015/2016 academic year.
With its resolution to continually produce world-class Dental Surgeons, it has placed itself as one of the few universities to study dentistry and excel.
University of Maiduguri
Under the College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri’s Faculty of Dentistry is one of the best in the country. The college was established in 1979 and comprised of four faculties, one of which is the Faculty of Dentistry.
The faculty is aimed at producing Dental Surgeons that can stand in intellectual equivalence with other dental Surgeons from around the world.
Today, it awards successful undergraduates with its Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) certificate on completion of their academic requirements.
University of Port Harcourt
In the vibrant city of Port Harcourt, River State, there is a university of popularity, Uniport, that offers to teach prospective students dentistry. The Faculty of Dentistry, under the College of Health Sciences, is rich in personnel to impart the required knowledge on students.
The Faculty of Dentistry has five departments, namely; Child dental Health, Oral Pathology and Oral Biology, restorative dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and Preventive Dentistry.
Uniport is known to be prominent in researches that positively tells on its academic staff and students. It offers Dentistry as a programme to undergraduates and the faculty also makes study provision for postgraduate studies.
Bayero University, Kano
Good universities to study dentistry aren’t restricted to the south and west alone. One of the best universities offering dentistry to prospective students is Bayero University, located in Kano.
Faculty of Dentistry is a new addition to the faculties already existing under the College of Medicine. It has five departments and boasts of producing intelligent and professional Dental Surgeons.
Admission Requirements into Universities to Study Dentistry
It is generally acceptable that prospective students have to pass certain subjects in their O’ level examinations before they can be accepted into any university to study dentistry. However, there are options available to prospective students to become students under the Faculty of Dentistry in any of the mentioned universities. Regardless of whether you intend to get admitted as a first-year student through JAMB and POST-UTME or as a second-year student through direct entry or A’ level student, you must pass these subjects.
- Five Credit level passes in English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology through WASSCE, GCE, or NECO. Some institutions accept passes in more than one sitting, others don’t. Check for your preferred institution’s requirements before you apply.
- JAMB subject combinations for dentistry is English, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Different institutions have different cut-off marks.
- A’ level students must pass Biology/Zoology, Chemistry and Physics before they can be considered for admission.
- Direct Entry students must have upper credit or its equivalent in Dental-related courses from institutions recognized by their preferred institution’s senate.
Registration Processes and Fees
The registration processes for each institution differs. Unfortunately, not all of them provide information for students’ registration on their website. However, be assured that there are similarities in the registration processes.
Most times, a student’s registration begins with payment of acceptance fees. This fee is to validate your admission into whichever institution you were accepted. Failure to pay this fee means forfeiture of your provisional admission.
The registration process after the payment of acceptance fees involve documentations at different departmental and faculty offices.
The fees to be paid differs for different universities, as does the means of payment. Details of payment will be provided at your department of study, look out for it.
Conclusion
Many universities offer to teach students Dentistry. It is your responsibility as a prospective dentistry student to select an accredited institution that suits you. Choose from the different departments in the Faculty of Dentistry, and get on with registration when you are accepted.
It is, however, important to note that it takes six years to complete the undergraduate studies for dentistry, after which, you will be awarded a bachelor’s degree and inducted as a registered dental surgeon, dental clinician, or dental technician.
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