UCU dentistry grad aims to reduce dentist-patient ratio

By Eriah Lule 

In 2020, as the world was receiving a beating from the Covid-19 pandemic, Chloe Nalujja’s attention was more on where she would pursue her undergraduate studies. Her aunt, an alumna of Uganda Christian University (UCU), pointed Nalujja to the same direction – UCU.

That journey at the UCU School of Dentistry came to a scheduled end on July 4, 2025, when Nalujja was part of the 1,524 graduates at the first part of the university’s 26th graduation ceremony.

Now serving a mandatory medical internship at the China–Uganda Friendship Hospital Naguru in Kampala, the 24-year-old spends her time examining, diagnosing and treating conditions of the teeth, gums and the mouth. All medical graduates in Uganda serve a one-year supervised medical internship, a statutory requirement to obtain their permanent practicing licences in the country. 

UCU School of Dentistry graduate, Chloe Nalujja

Now seeing Nalujja almost a fully fledged professional, one could easily forget the challenges she faced on the journey to where she is. While she was more focused on her university work than the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the epidemic had impacts on her. 

Nalujja’s mother lost her job as a result of a cost-cutting measure by her employer during the pandemic. Life became uncertain, but Nalujja refused to lose hope. 

“I became an entrepreneur, selling purses and earrings to classmates to cover the requirements for upkeep while praying for a breakthrough,” she said.  “By God’s grace, I got support from Twende Outreach International, a non-governmental organization whose sponsorship helped me complete the course.”

During her clinical training, Nalujja confesses that she learned as much as she got frustrated. She spent many of the weekends fabricating prostheses, and sometimes she faced repeated failures. Other times, she faced denture cracks at deflasking, poor fitting appliances or the emotional toll of doing the remakes.

During those moments, she says, staff at the Mengo Dental Clinic stepped in with help and encouragement, showing her how collaboration sustains learning under pressure.

Outreach trips that she participated in, too, were handy in providing the out-of-classroom experience that Nalujja badly desired, and so were the long hours in the dental lab, which she says broadened her clinical exposure and deepened her respect for laboratory technicians whose craftsmanship underpins clinical success.

Nalujja’s internship at the China–Uganda Friendship Hospital Naguru blends restorative and surgical dentistry. Restorative dentistry includes rehabilitating the teeth and the oral cavity for them to be able to function well, while surgical dentistry involves the surgical treatment of conditions affecting the teeth, gums, jaw, and the surrounding facial structures.

One unnerving case that Nalujja says she faced involved extracting a tooth from a patient with epilepsy. Fearing a seizure, she consulted her supervisor, who advised that she only proceed after notifying the emergency department. With a short prayer and steady hands, she completed the extraction, a defining moment that turned theoretical training into professional confidence. It is such experiences that have sharpened her interest. Nalujja says she is slowly getting drawn to restorative and cosmetic dentistry, especially prosthodontics, finding deep satisfaction in restoring smiles and relieving pain. 

Though she recognizes policy gaps and resource limitations, Nalujja remains committed to community sensitization on oral health, hoping that her contribution in a field where specialists are rare in the country, will bring pride to her parents – Nakayiza Catherine and Luttamaguzi Ronald. 

Uganda has a dentist-to-patient ratio of about 1:140,000, against the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 1:8,000.

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