The Ghana Dental Association (GDA) has blamed the growing menace of quack dental practitioners on the severe shortage of licensed dentists in the country.
The Association says the inadequate number of trained professionals, especially in rural and peri-urban areas, has created a vacuum being exploited by illegal operators.
Speaking at the 34th Annual General Congress of the GDA in Koforidua, President of the Association, Dr. (Dent) Cecilia Kakrabah-Quarshie, described dental quackery as a silent public health epidemic putting the lives of many unsuspecting Ghanaians at risk.
“The dentist-to-patient ratio in Ghana is a staggering 1 to 58,400. This alarming shortfall has left large parts of the country, particularly rural communities, without access to qualified dental care. Into this void, quackery has marched unchecked,” she lamented.
According to Dr. Kakrabah-Quarshie, the crisis is no longer limited to untrained individuals posing as dentists, but now includes some licensed professionals, dental technicians, and auxiliary staff acting illegally, with the complicity of some dental laboratories.
The GDA President outlined the serious public health consequences associated with dental quackery, ranging from infections, permanent oral damage, and financial exploitation to the erosion of public trust in qualified dental professionals.
She noted that about 66 percent of Ghanaians have never visited a dentist, making them vulnerable to illegal practitioners.
“We must intensify public education about the importance of seeking treatment from licensed professionals while holding ourselves as dental practitioners to the highest ethical standards,” she urged.
A representative of the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, admitted that the menace has been fueled by weak enforcement of licensure laws and the reluctance of young dental professionals to accept postings to rural facilities.
“Often, we hear there’s nothing there for them, but the reality is that services follow personnel. When qualified practitioners go to these areas, the necessary support and facilities follow,” he stated.
Prof. Akoriyea revealed that Ghana currently has just 29 dental specialists and called for urgent measures to build capacity, particularly through the use of the newly established Cleft Centre at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
In a speech read on her behalf, Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Rita Akosua Agyei Awatey, described dental quackery as a silent yet deadly epidemic and urged government to decentralize dental services to reduce the strain on urban centers and curb the rise of illegal practitioners.
The Ghana Dental Association has since renewed its call for a nationwide crackdown on quack dentists and illegal dental laboratories, while also appealing for corporate support in rural outreach, mobile dental units, and public education campaigns.
“This crisis affects the entire oral health ecosystem. It requires a collaborative, decisive response from practitioners, regulators, law enforcement, and policymakers alike,” Dr. Kakrabah-Quarshie concluded.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
