Department of Preventive Dentistry

Dr. P. O. Ameh

Head of Department

The Department of Preventive Dentistry was established in 2018 as one of the departments in the also newly established Faculty of Dental Sciences. The Department is dedicated to promoting oral health through education, research, and community service. Comprised of Periodontology and Community Dentistry, the department focuses on training undergraduate dental students to become skilled in preventing, diagnosing, and managing oral diseases. The periodontology unit emphasizes the study of gum diseases and their treatment, while the community dentistry unit engages students in public health initiatives to improve oral health awareness and access to care within the region. Together, they provide a comprehensive learning experience that equips future dental professionals with the knowledge and skills to address the oral health needs of their communities. The specialties and the lecturers therein, train students in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme, the first in North-Central Nigeria. The training provided by various means that include: didactic lectures, tutorials, seminars, clinical instructions, modelling, and supervisions, urban and rural (community) postings, and research projects.

The students have access to lecture rooms and seminar rooms equipped with audiovisual equipment and a laboratory comprised of state-of-the-art phantom heads for simulations, within Faculty of Dental Sciences and dental chairs for clinical training, and interactions/treatment of patients in the Departmental Clinics in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Thus, learning shall be by an integrated self-directed, tutor-guided and problem-based method. It shall employ the following tools:

a) Models, phantoms, skills laboratories, audio-visuals, patient simulators, books, journals, peers, patient care centres and the community with its environment.

b) Tutorials and seminars.

c) Project writing and presentation

d) Essays on selected topics using relevant bibliography

e) Clinical care

f) Web-based learning

Mission

Our mission is to train and empower undergraduate dental students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to prevent, diagnose, and manage periodontal diseases and to promote comprehensive oral health education and care.

Vision

To be a leading center of excellence in preventive dentistry, fostering a new generation of dental professionals equipped with the knowledge and skills to promote oral health and prevent disease through comprehensive education, community engagement, and innovative research. We aim to improve the quality of life for communities by advancing the fields of periodontology and community dentistry, and by addressing the unique oral health challenges of our communities.