Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, has decried the dearth of dental technology training institutions in the northern part of the country.
He spoke on Wednesday at the opening of the 37th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting Association of Dental Technology of Nigeria (ADTN), holding in Gombe.
The conference with the theme “Transforming dental technology education and practice in Nigeria: Challenges, opportunities and innovations,” drew practitioners from across the country.
The governor said the lack of such training institutions in the North has a far-reaching impact on the region.
Represented by the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Habu Dahiru, he lamented that only Kwara and Kaduna states have dental technology training schools, calling on the ADTN to collaborate with other institutions to foster a common front.
“We have a shortage of dental technologists; in the whole of northern Nigeria, there are only two locations: Kwara and Kaduna.
“We have to travel to Enugu or Kwara, but since there are a lot of exoduses outside of the country, we need to produce more to replace them. There should be policy reforms,” he said.
Earlier, National President of ADTN, Dr Eyarefe Stephen, highlighted the challenges facing dental technology education, lamenting the poor state of infrastructure and the shortage of qualified lecturers in most training institutions.
He said most of the institutions still grapple with outdated equipment, poor funding, and curricula that lag behind global standards.
Dr Stephen added that the disconnect between basic science and clinical training leaves many graduates underprepared for independent practice.
