Experts in the healthcare sector have advocated collaborative care to tackle complexities of modern healthcare demands.

They stated that complexities of modern healthcare demands a multidisciplinary approach whereby professionals from diverse specialties work seamlessly together for comprehensive and patient-centered care.

They spoke at the 4th Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Dentistry, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla Campus, Enugu State.

President, Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), Dr Elias Emedom Martins, stated that collaborative care underscores the connection between oral health and overall systematic health, stressing that it is the totality of health care of an individual given a holistic approach to oral and general healthcare.

He stated that interdependence of oral healthcare and general healthcare calls for a collaborative multidisciplinary approach requiring dental care practitioners to work with their medical colleagues to deliver patient-centered care.

A Professor of Periodontology and Health Service Research in the University of Benin, Clement Azodo, while speaking on the theme, “Collaborative Care in Dentistry”, stated it is all about the Dentists working with other health professionals to give the best care to a patient within the patient’s choice and not minimising the standard of care. He said it remains the best way to treat patients.

“In this type of care, it is the patient- centered approach; the patient and other professionals are involved. So everybody understands the work schedule of everybody. That is the way to go. It helps to provide effective cure and not treat the patient in isolation”, he stated

Azodo, who gave the keynote lecture on the theme, advocated for hospitals to engage electronic health record, Digital Imaging, and internet connectivity that could enable practitioners’ conferences online to provide effective healthcare.

“If we treat patients this way, it will reduce burn out for doctors and enhance satisfaction for the patients. So it is win -win for everybody”, he emphasised

Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, Prof Linda Oge Okoye, explained that Collaborative Care in Dentistry had become necessary because Dentistry can no longer be viewed as a standalone profession, rather an interconnected healthcare system where collaboration enhances patient outcomes, drives innovation, and strengthens healthcare delivery.

“I want you to know that the mouth (over cavity) is a kind of mirror that actually showcases any disease that is in the body. Almost everything that is in the body is seriously represented in the oral cavity and that is why we have moved from taking it bit by bit to having a holistic approach to the care, so that the man could be wholly healthy and not take an aspect of his body and the rest suffers.

“When there is collaborative care, you would find out that everything is managed well and timely unlike when one specialist would spend so much time taking care of one aspect and that other aspect that has not been noticed by the Specialist would worsen. But when everybody comes to the table, we would find the best solution for the man”, she said

She cited the treatment of cleft patients as an instance where such collaboration had worked, stressing that in the team comprised Dentists, Pediatricians, Nurses, and Dietitians among others, and working together to achieve a purpose.

Okoye, tasked healthcare professionals on the need to foster meaningful partnerships across disciplines, explaining that the conference provides invaluable platform to exchange ideas, share cutting edge research, strengthen professional networks, and explore innovative strategies that would shape the future of oral healthcare in Nigeria

She added that the Faculty had continued to grow in leaps and bounds, attaining re-accreditation in Bachelor of Dental Surgery programme, with a substantial increase in her admission quota from 15 to 60 students.

“This landmark accomplishment is a strong endorsement of the quality of our academic programs, our clinical training facilities, and our capacity to produce competent dental professionals equipped to meet the oral health needs of our nation”, she emphasised.

She disclosed that the Faculty had undergone infrastructural renewal as well as providing sustainable and reliable source power with installed solar-powered energy systems to supply power at the clinical service and academic activities, while a 32-seater coaster bus was recently acquired to support outreach programmes, among others.

Chairman of the occasion, Prof Ernest Onwasigwe, had praised Prof Okoye for always charting a new course towards positioning the Faculty as “the best in the country”.

Describing her as the “Mary Slessor” of the Faculty, Onwasigwe, a former Provost of the College of Medicine, expressed delight that he did not fall to the pressure from certain quarters, who queried how “Okoye, who was then a Lecturer 1 could be made an Acting Dean when the Faculty started years ago”.

Onwasigwe, stated that several Deans had headed the Faculty, yet it was during the tenure of “Okoye that its admission quota was increased to number one in the country, all programs accredited and several other achievements”.

He thanked the Faculty for keeping fate with the scientific conference, stressing it has continued to attract interests beyond the shores of the country.