Professor Gbemisola Oke, Regent of the International College of Dentists West Africa Sub-region, and Professor Edoba Omoregie, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, presided over the induction of 103 Nigerian dental professionals as Fellows of the International College of Dentists.

The ceremony formed part of activities marking the 50th anniversary and alumni reunion of the University of Benin School of Dentistry, bringing together senior academics, dental professionals and alumni to celebrate five decades of training and service in oral healthcare.

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Among those inducted were Dr Elias Emedom, President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Professor Matthew Sede, Professor Ese Anibor, Professor Mercy Okoh, Dr Benneth Uwakwem, Dr Adesina Ayodele, Dr Chris Eyikor, Dr Ejiro Idiga and Dr Adewuwa Abe.

Professor Edoba Omoregie, who was also inducted as an honorary Fellow alongside Professor Sanni Shehu and Professor Kabiru Bala, said the School of Dentistry had developed into an important centre for dental education and professional development.

“From those early beginnings, the School of Dentistry, University of Benin, has evolved into one of Nigeria’s foremost institutions for dental education,” Omoregie said, describing its graduates as professionals who have made an outstanding impact in Nigeria and beyond.

The Vice-Chancellor added that the university would continue supporting the school so that its graduates and programmes could remain competitive in dental care delivery both nationally and internationally.

For the International College of Dentists, Fellowship is more than a professional title.

The organisation’s membership requirements emphasise sustained involvement in dentistry, professional and community contributions, integrity and good standing.

Its West Africa Region includes Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon.

The latest recognition therefore adds an international dimension to a ceremony already centred on professional achievement and institutional history.

The scale of the induction is also notable.

In 2014, 24 Nigerian specialists were inducted as ICD Fellows at a West Africa regional convocation, with the recognition described at the time as a means of strengthening dental standards, scholarship and professional collaboration.

The University of Benin’s School of Dentistry has itself developed over several decades.

UNIBEN records show that the school took off with its first students in 1977, following the establishment of the College of Medical Sciences in the mid-1970s.

It now has six departments covering areas including preventive dentistry, restorative dentistry, periodontics, oral diagnosis and radiology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and oral and maxillofacial pathology and medicine.

Professor Joan Enabulele, Dean of the School of Dentistry, used the anniversary to look beyond the achievements of the past 50 years.

She said the next phase should include a purpose-built clinical dentistry complex that would expand the school’s clinical, laboratory and office facilities.

“A facility that will double our current clinical space, laboratory space, and office space.

A centre of excellence where innovation, research, and patient care will take place,” Enabulele said.

The proposed development comes at a time when Nigeria continues to face significant challenges in providing accessible oral healthcare.

A recent health systems profile published through the World Health Organisation reported a dentistry personnel density of 0.20 per 10,000 people in Nigeria in 2021, below the African regional average of 0.44 per 10,000.

The report also noted that Nigeria has nine dental schools, with seven located in the South-West, and an average of about 150 dentists graduating each year.

A 2025 study similarly estimated Nigeria’s dentist-to-population ratio at roughly one dentist for every 44,830 people, compared with a WHO-recommended ratio of one to 5,000.

It highlighted the uneven concentration of dentists in urban areas as another barrier to access, particularly for rural and underserved communities.

The wider public health picture makes the development of skilled dental professionals particularly important.

The WHO estimates that oral diseases affect nearly 3.7 billion people globally and says most low and middle-income countries do not have sufficient services to prevent and treat oral conditions.

Across Africa, the challenge remains substantial.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa reported in August 2025 that oral diseases affect around 42 per cent of the continent’s population and called for stronger health systems and wider access to essential oral health services.

Against that backdrop, the induction of 103 professionals represents more than a ceremonial achievement.

It highlights the importance of maintaining a strong pipeline of dental practitioners, educators and researchers capable of contributing to Nigeria’s long-term oral health needs.

The University of Benin has also shown a growing emphasis on strengthening its dental training environment.

In 2025, the university’s School of Dentistry commissioned a renovated and fully equipped dental clinic while conducting a free oral health outreach programme for members of the community.

The 50th anniversary ceremony consequently brought together two strands of the school’s story: recognition of those who have contributed to the profession and a renewed conversation about what the next generation of dental education should look like.

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For the 103 inductees, the Nigerian dentists fellowship provides an international professional distinction. For the University of Benin, the occasion offered a moment to honour five decades of training while setting an ambitious course for the next 50 years.