(NOTE:  In September 2018, Uganda Christian University launched a School of Medicine with 60 students. To “put a face” on Uganda’s future doctors and dentists, some of these students, including this one, were interviewed after the completion of the first semester.)

By Brendah Ndagire
Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine student, 20-year-old Peter Kabuye from Kimbugu, Mpigi district, Uganda, hopes to fill the huge gap in his country’s dental needs.  He hopes he can be an instrument of change through providing dental services, especially in rural areas where there is the greatest need. Even though he comes from a family where his parents are mostly interested in the arts and business careers, Kabuye is not shying away from his primary interest in sciences.  Part of his story is shared here.

How did you get drawn to the dental surgery?
In high school, I had a dental appointment with Dr. Timothy Mawano, at his dental clinic. And the way he talked about dental surgery and his experience in the dental field, it made an impression on me. I asked more questions about it and he encouraged me to study dentistry. He essentially inspired me to study this program. But, I also am continually inspired by the owner of Jubilee Dental Clinic; his name is Dr. James Magala, a father of my colleague here at UCU. Going forward, the main reasons for being part of this program are to address the need of dentists in my community, and contribute something good to our country.

In your community, where have you identified the need for dentists?The main need is lack of financial resources to construct dental clinics in Kimbugu Village, Mpigi district. Secondly, there are some dentists in my village but there are not qualified professionals. They do not have resources to conduct dental services. Most people in my rural village if they, for instance, have a cavity, the only option they have is to extract their tooth. If the same people were living in Kampala, they would be exposed to more options such as dental cleaning and refilling the cavity.

Have you always wanted to be a dentist?
It has always been a combination of medicine and dentistry because when you study medicine, you can also decide to end up in dental surgery. But I was more drawn to understanding/studying the parts of the head, mouth, teeth, etc., and that’s what dental surgery is all about.

What challenges have you observed so far that contribute to a shortage of dentists in Uganda?
The main challenge is that it is expensive to study science programs in Uganda. For example, most Ugandans can only afford to study science programs at Makerere University, if they are sponsored by the government (since it is a public university). And there are only a few universities teaching dental surgery, namely, Kampala International University, Makerere University, and currently Uganda Christian University. The economic problem, coupled with limited universities teaching dentistry, contribute greatly to this shortage.

Why study at UCU?
I wanted to study at a university that embraces God. The second reason was that compared to other universities, UCU has smaller classes and I wanted to study at a university where I can study in small groups and get the best out of your lecturer.

What has been so far the most positive aspect of studying at UCU?Small classes which contribute to team building, relationship building and a better learning environment are a plus. Secondly, community worship is conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It helps us to take time to get to know more about God. And lastly, professors are very engaging and love teaching us.

What classes do you find interesting so far?
Anatomy. It is so new to me, and gives me a new language. I derive my current happiness in the process of discussing different and new concepts in that class. I also like Bio Chemistry but currently it is getting harder to engage with.

So far what challenges have you experienced as a student at UCU?
My current and major challenge is commuting for a long time to get to school every day. I live far from Mengo Hospital where UCU School of Medicine is located. And I have observed that because I spend so much time commuting, I rarely get time to rest and concentrate on studying my books. That had a negative impact on my grades last semester. I hope to move soon to a closer neighborhood.

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More information about the Uganda Christian University School of Medicine can be obtained at https://www.ugandapartners.org/priority-projects. To support science students, books and facilities at the medical school, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org  or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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(In 2014, the Uganda Ministry of Health reported only 200 dentists in the entire country. In the same year (the latest available data), more than 51% of Ugandans had dental diseases, and 76% of children under age 5 and 93% of adults reportedly suffered tooth decay. If dentists were distributed geographically equitable throughout Uganda, there would be 1 dentist serving about 175,000 people – a deficit in itself but an even greater problem because Ugandan dentists tend to be located in urban and not rural areas despite the fact that Uganda’s national health policy requires that every district has at least one dentist. The rural community challenge especially hits home for Ayikoru Hilda Diana, a “freshman” student in the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program within the recently opened Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine.  She’s from the sparsely served area of Arua in Uganda’s northern region. In this interview, Ayikoru Hilda shares her hopes and dreams for the field of dentistry in Uganda.)

By Brendah Ndagire
How did you get drawn to Dental Surgery?
During high school I loved sciences. With my interest and academic proficiency in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, I wanted to go medical school. When I was presented with the opportunity to go to Uganda Christian University’s School of Medicine, I knew that I wanted to study Dental Surgery because I have always found dentists interesting people. Besides, there are few dentists in Uganda. I have always wanted to make an impact in my community, and I thought since there are few dentists in my country and especially in the area where I was born, I would make a better impact in that field.

Apart from the shortage of dentists in Uganda, what challenges have you observed?
The current challenge with dentistry field is that in most cases when some people with a toothache go to a dental clinic in Uganda, a dentist just extracts the tooth. Yet, there is more to being a dentist than just pulling out a tooth. It seems like most dentists here are only taught how to remove a tooth instead of examining different ways they can engage with patients about dental and oral hygiene and treatment.

Why study at UCU School of Medicine?
There are only two Ugandan universities that have a bachelor’s degree program in Dental Surgery, namely, Makerere University and Uganda Christian University. I chose UCU because I come from a Christian family, and two of my siblings have studied/are still studying at UCU. Beyond that, it is really the integration of a Christian perspective with different classes. For example, this semester, I had three science classes, Anatomy, Biochemistry, Physiology, and humanity classes such as Understanding the New Testament and Old Testament. I love having a christian perspective on issues affecting our daily lives.

In Arua District, where do you see a need for dentists?
There is a lot of need for dentists in the Arua District. I remember every school term, whenever I used to go for a dental check up as a requirement for school entry, I had never seen an actual dentist. For more than 7 years, I had never seen an actual dentist! I also have lived in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, and I never saw a dentist there either. I am saying “actual” because the only thing they knew how to do was a check up and pulling out a tooth. But dentistry goes beyond tooth extraction. And the only time I have seen an actual dentist is in Kampala and neighboring urban areas, where dentist examine the oral conditions of a patient, recommend measures to take to prevent dental diseases and so forth.

Recognizing the challenges and reality of dentists in your community, what do you hope to do differently as a dental surgeon?
I want to primarily teach people about the importance of teeth and oral hygiene. My mother was a midwife, and I used to go with her at the hospital. One day, a woman came and without telling the doctors what problem she had with her tooth, she asked them to remove the tooth. And I thought to myself, “you can’t just remove teeth. Learn about the problem causing the toothache, and find out whether it can be prevented or treated without removing the entire tooth.” As a dentist, the first approach is to teach people about everything regarding teeth and oral hygiene.

Where do you hope to practice as a dentist?
I would like to work in my home district of Arua because I see the greatest need for dentists there. I hope to work as a dentist, but I also hope to teach dentistry to the people there. I believe working as a dentist in Arua would help people in my community but I also think teaching them would make a greater impact. If I can do both, the better.

What has so far been the most positive aspect of studying at UCU School of Medicine?Professors/lecturers teach to make sure that we excel in our classes. Not many professors/lecturers love to teach. Some teach to fail students but I think our professors really love teaching us. I can see that they really care about us, and about the university’s good reputation.

Who do you look up to as you pursue this journey?
My mother and father have been my inspiration in this field of medicine. My mother was a midwife; she passed away in 2014.  And my father used to be a veterinary doctor.  At UCU, I am inspired by Dr. Albert Kasangaki, the head of dentistry who also studied dental surgery and everything related to oral surgery.

More information about the Uganda Christian University School of Medicine can be obtained at https://www.ugandapartners.org/priority-projects.To support science students, books and facilities at the medical school, contact Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, atm.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or donate directly at: https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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