A Professor of Orthodontics, Mrs. Idia Ize-Iyamu, yesterday expressed worry over the dearth of orthodontists in the country.

She revealed that out of the 70 orthodontists in Nigeria, there were only 10 professors with four in Lagos, three in Benin, two in Ife and one in Port Harcourt.

According to her, 70 orthodontists were inadequate to serve the over 200 million people that make up the country’s population.

Ize-Iyamu spoke while delivering the 262 inaugural lecture of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), with topic, ‘The Magic of Transformation: Blessed are ye that Weep Now, for ye shall Laugh’ in Benin City, Edo State.

The university don, who called for the training of more specialists in the dental field to meet the ratio obtainable in developed countries, said going by the Nigeria Association of Orthodontists (NOA) data, the ratio was one orthodontist to 2.7 million people as at 2019.

She pointed out that the trainer-to-trainer ratio at the West African College of Surgeon and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria was one consultant orthodontist to three and four doctors, respectively.

“This makes the pace slow, given the number of training centres are also few. There are only nine accredited dental schools for undergraduate training, which involves teaching orthodontist as a subject and part of the curriculum. The total number of dental students approved in Nigeria by the Medical and Dental Council are 165, which translates to one professor to over 16 students and 21 million Nigerians,” Ize-Iyamu said.

Calling on government to set up special hospitals to take care of children with craniofacial defects, Ize-Iyamu added that the hospital should be made free of charge for such children to encourage those who are hiding as a result of shame and inability to afford the cost of treatment.

She particularly tasked such hospitals to provide orthodontic treatment for patients with cleft lip and palate as well as patients with severe handicapping malocclusions that could affect their social and mental states, adding that its funding should be made through special interventions.