The general assembly of the National Order of Dental Surgeons held recently in Bamenda.

The nation's Dental Surgeons have committed to set records straight by enforcing texts that regulate practice in the life-saving sector. The general assembly of dental surgeons in Bamenda, from October 18, 2012 rekindled hope with the surgeons reaffirming their commitment to turn full circle in saving lives despite challenges that rock the profession.

It was a rare moment for the President, Dr. Effica Ebe Catherine to decry illegal practice and clandestine clinics implanted in homes across the country. She challenged dental surgeons to stand by and master the texts regulating the profession and said the National Order of Dental Surgeons will not relent in giving young dentists more training opportunities to better serve patients.

Chaired by North West Governor, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, the general assembly brought to light that Cameroon has only one dental surgeon to 100.000 people and 200 dental surgeons to 20 million Cameroonians. That, to many, was inconceivable at a time when the World Health Organisation (W.H.O) expects one dental surgeon to 10.000 people in developing countries and one dental surgeon to 2.000 in industrialised nations. The Bamenda assembly checked and balanced the way forward for the National Order of Dental Surgeons with Prof. Crezoit Emmanuel from Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire, who traveled with enough experience and scientific knowledge on the sector to share.

It was indeed, a rare moment for the dental surgeons to exchange notes on field experiences. It was against this backdrop that Dr Ntongsi Didier, Dr Kalain David, Dr Agbor Micheal and Dr Awazi Emmanuel told CT that there is an acute lack of specialists in dental surgery with barely two maxillofacial surgeons in Cameroon. The President, Dr Effica Ebe Catherine also says inadequate personnel and expensive products do not help matters.

Dr Awazi Emmanuel says that inhabitants of the rural areas of Cameroon suffer dental problems of gingivitis and chronic periodontitis, blamed on poor oral hygiene which often leads to teeth falling off. Elsewhere, the cities of Cameroon feature a lot of patients suffering from dental caries or holes in teeth as well as painful teeth, also called pulpitis. Dr. Sidiki Djibrilla moderated the general assembly session.