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Better dental care for rural areas
The Citizen
2000-03-10

Compulsory community service for dentists, due to be implemented soon, will result in better dental care for people in rural areas. These areas have, until now, suffered under a very short supply of dentists.

Community service for dentists, to be introduced in July, will mean better oral care for people in the rural areas, the SA Dental Association (Sada) said at Parliament on 3/3/00.

People in rural areas are not receiving the dental services they need, in spite of too many dentists being trained in South Africa, Sada told the National Assembly's Health Portfolio Committee. Dr J T Barnard, Sada executive director, said almost 200 South African dentists left the country last year, most to practise in Britain. About 900 dentists qualified in South Africa were already working in Britain. About 1 600 South African dentists were registered in Britain, or about 30 percent of the total number of dentists registered in South Africa. "They are registered in the United Kingdom but not necessarily practising there, which makes it easy for them to pack their bags and leave whenever they wish."

The reasons for dentists leaving the country were crime and violence in South Africa, a lack of profitability, and political uncertainty. Speaking on declining profit in dentistry, Dr Barnard said enough dentists were being trained to meet the country's needs until 2010, meaning there was an over-supply of dentists for the market.

Dr Lethoko Tsiu, Sada president, said that as from July this year, about 200 dentists a year will report for compulsory community service. Most would be employed in the rural areas, which would case some of the existing imbalances in service distribution. It would make redundant the profession of dental therapists - those with basic training in procedures such as extractions and fillings. Sada asked for dental therapists to he retrained as dentists and the profession deregistered.
(Source: The Citizen, 4/3/00)

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