Dental News - University of Rwanda graduates first class of dentists

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 18. December 2018

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BUTARE, Rwanda: The University of Rwanda recently celebrated the graduation of its first-ever graduate class of dentists. With a population of more than 12 million people and less than 40 registered dentists to serve them, an additional ten new graduates with bachelor’s degrees in dental surgery is a milestone for the future of the nation’s oral health.

Since 2011, Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) has been a leading partner in the effort to launch the new dental school and bachelor of dental surgery degree programme at the University of Rwanda. Donna Hackley, HSDM instructor in oral health policy and epidemiology has spent the last five years working with colleagues in Rwanda to put the course in place.

“It is an incredible blessing to be part of this historic moment in Rwanda. It is some of the most challenging, enjoyable and rewarding work I’ve ever done,” Hackley said in conversation with the Harvard Gazette.

What it took to get there began seven and a half years ago, with an initiative started by Partners In Health, the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the Rwandan Ministries of Health and Education. Together, the three entities established the Rwanda Human Resources for Health Program—a program for the advancement of medical education and the improvement of health care delivery systems in the country.

In the fall of 2013, the new school welcomed its inaugural class into the five-year dental surgery degree programme. The students spent their first two years of training with their medical school classmates at the University of Rwanda School of Medicine in Huye before beginning dental training in the country’s capital city of Kigali. They were steadfast in their desire to learn. The inaugural class adopted the nickname the “Pioneerz”.

“Some of the students had never experienced a dental visit themselves and did not know any dentists,” Hackley explained. “This was not only a new school and programme, but totally new territory for them, so they truly are pioneers. They were faithful and resilient throughout the programme. I’m incredibly proud of everything they have achieved.”

Important work was also done outside the classroom to better understand Rwanda’s oral health needs. Last year, Hackley worked with colleagues in Rwanda and at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine to plan and conduct the nation’s first oral health survey. The study found a substantial burden of oral disease and conditions, with paediatric and adult populations having many unmet dental caries and periodontal treatment needs—emphasising the importance of greater access to dental care and the need for the new school. The results will inform workforce and delivery systems planning, allow for oral health monitoring and build research capacity.

“In rural areas we need more care. People living outside the towns suffer a lot, because of a lack of care,” said Julienne Murererehe, assistant lecturer at the University of Rwanda. “Graduation is a very big achievement—not only for the students and the faculty—but for the whole country. It’s important for the development of oral health services in Rwanda.”

“I’m very excited and happy for today’s graduation, it is the day I have waited for, for a long time,” said graduate Joseph Nshimiyimana. “We are going to do our best to achieve more for our country.”

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