The Oral Health Professionals Association of Ghana (OHPAG) has appealed to the government to resume training for Dental Laboratory Technicians to ensure the provision of quality oral healthcare delivery.
The move, according to OHPAG, will guarantee a more holistic approach to oral healthcare delivery leading to improved outcomes for patients in Ghana.
The Ministry of Health in 2019 halted the training of Dental Laboratory Technicians who are anticipated to function at the sub-district, district and at the regional levels to provide both preventive and curative oral services.
These technicians work closely with dentists as they play a crucial role in using impressions or molds of a patient’s teeth to create crowns, bridges, dentures, and other dental appliances to enhance oral health care.
President of OHPAG Douglas Avoka, speaking at their Annual National Oral Health Conference 2023 in Koforidua, underscored the need for the government to expeditiously resume the training of Dental Laboratory Technicians.
“I wish to use this platform to urgently appeal to the ministry of Health to resume the training of Dental Laboratory Technicians which was halted in 2019.”
“Without a steady supply of skilled technicians, our ability to provide quality dental care will be compromised,” he reiterated.
Douglas Avoka, similarly, made a passionate plea for financial clearance for Dental Surgery Assistants and Technicians to avert the situation where dental facilities have more dentists than assistants which hinder the efficiency of dental care delivery and places undue stress on dental professionals.
Touching briefly on the theme for the conference – ‘Collaborative Approaches in Oral Health Care: Strengthening the Dental Team in Ghana’ – Douglas challenged OHPAG members to invest in their professional development to raise the bar of oral healthcare in Ghana.
By Maxwell Otoo|Onua FM|3news.com|Ghana