Mission Statement

The “School Dentistry“ of the “UNIVERSITY of GUYANA” (UG), is the national tertiary educational institution devoted to the recruitment and training of Guyanese, Caricom nationals and other students in the field of Dentistry, with a commitment to promote oral health, to prevent oral diseases in general, and to provide curative and rehabilitative oral and dental clinical services that are accessible, equitable, and affordable, in a perspective of mass promotion and prevention.

VISION OF THE SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

To constantly improve the Oral Health status, and consequently the General Health, of the citizens of Guyana, Caricom and further afield, on par with international standards and practices promoted by the graduates and faculty of the School of Dentistry.

GOALS / OBJECTIVES

In training dental professionals for the oral health care delivery system, in general and the public dental health care delivery system, in particular, the new dental institution is primarily oriented to education, research, oral health policy, community and person-to-person oriented services with the following objectives:

To graduate proficient General Dentists capable of providing the full range of comprehensive Dental Care, and who understand the importance of life-long learning, professional development, and their responsibility to the society at large.
To develop skills and abilities in undergraduate students that will enable the delivery of quality, comprehensive care in all Clinical disciplines of General Dentistry, through the making of clinical judgements using evidence-based diagnoses and treatment planning.
To prepare undergraduate students to effectively communicate knowledge of comprehensive Oral Care and related diseases to patients, faculty members and fellow students.
To enable eligible unlicensed BDS students to pass a state/regional licensing exam after the completion of the programme.
To develop the undergraduate BDS students’ abilities to integrate the basic and clinical sciences into the practice of General Dentistry.
To develop the BDS students’ ability to contribute to the Dental Profession through research and scholarly activities
To provide students with a sound knowledge of the health care delivery system, in general and dental health system in particular, at all levels (primary, secondary, tertiary), and to function effectively as enablers and care providers in all types of settings (urban, rural, remote, and regional). This means that they should be prepared to adapt their skills to the most difficult situations.
To be knowledgeable about the link between general and oral health, and the influence of diseases affecting the others parts of the body on oral health issues, and to have a good medical background while managing oral health problems.
To have a clear knowledge of priority oral health issues facing the Latin American sub-region, the Caribbean and obviously, Guyana, and to be able to adapt such knowledge to meet a variety of needs and demands of the above populations, within their socio-economic, geo-political and cultural realities.
To have strong problem-solving skills, which are pragmatic, relevant, cost-effective and contribute to the resolution of oral health issues through a comprehensive approach (promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, based on research studies, epidemiological survey, multi-sectorial approach, community participation and empowerment.)
To execute comparably and to interact effectively with peers at all levels on the local, regional, and international scenes, through acquisition of proper knowledge, ability and skills, required competencies, paralleled by the acceptance of personal and legal limitations.
To provide leadership to other members of the oral health team, with appreciation and respect for individual roles, and make good use of team concept in planning, programming, evaluating oral health services, as well as in providing quality Oral Care. This implies to seek for advice from co-workers and make necessary referral to medical personnel or to a more qualified/specialized dental professional.\
To inculcate adequate legal and ethical attitudes and conduct based on the laws of Guyana and the Dental Act of 1996.