5 APAC Dentistry Schools preparing graduates for the global market

04 Aug 2017

Everyone needs dental healthcare, and this fact alone makes a career in dentistry a truly global profession.

For obvious reasons, scientists are in high demand across the world, and regardless of where you train, your skills will be needed wherever you go. This opens up a world of opportunity for Dentistry graduates and provides the freedom to choose your own path in life.

There couldn’t be a better time to embark on a career in Dentistry, and it seems the Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the place to be. With ageing populations, both Hong Kong and Singapore are at risk of a serious lack of dentists, experts warned in a recent Hong Kong government report.

Offering a number of solutions for the predicament, the report’s commission recommended increasing the number of overseas health staff working in public hospitals.

“With an ageing population, demand for dental services is not only increasing but also changing due to the more complex dental needs of geriatric patients,” says Singapore’s Chief Dental Officer, Dr Patrick Tseng Seng Kwong.

In a bid to bridge this gap, Singapore’s Ministry of Health has even started to offer scholarships for postgraduate studies in geriatric and special needs dentistry, making now the ideal time to strike while the iron’s hot and potentially land yourself a thriving career in the heart of the Asia-Pacific.

Dentistry also has wide and varied applications. You’ll obviously be focusing on dental expertise, but you could also be doing anything from helping disadvantaged children in the developing world through rewarding charity work, to enjoying the challenge of setting up your own practice in a country of your choosing.

When hunting out a university to give you the first steps into your dentistry career, it’s important to find one that not only supports this global ambition, but one that prepares you for it and understands dentistry’s significance within a global context…

One that is passionate about chasing the ground-breaking research and dedicated to blazing the trail of academic excellence.

Here are 5 APAC universities preparing graduates for the global market…

SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY AND ORAL HEALTH AT GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY – AUSTRALIA

The AUS$150 million purpose-built Griffith Health Centre will be the home of your studies at this young and exciting university set in the stunning Gold Coast region of Australia.

Despite its young age, the School of Dentistry and Oral Health is already excelling at providing a world-class education for upwardly mobile and ambitious students in state-of-the-art facilities for students to learn their craft. Programs are fully accredited by the Australian Dental Council for registration as a health professional by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, and recognised by the Commission on Dental Education of Canada for registration as a dentist and by New Zealand’s Dental Council via Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition.

The impressive 96-chair dental clinic, commercial dental and clinical skills laboratories, high-level IT facilities, and research facilities are just part of the reason the School has such a fine reputation throughout Australia and beyond.

Offering Master of Dentistry and Bachelor degrees in Dental Technology and Dental Prosthetics right through to a Master of Clinical Dentistry or Doctor of Clinical Dentistry and PhDs, there are courses for all levels to kick off your Dentistry career. All courses are informed by the latest research – also conducted at the School – and evidence-based modern practices.

Griffith has forged invaluable collaborations with a number of international institutions meaning research and expertise can be shared between organisations, ensuring students get the very best out of their learning experience. These are hugely beneficial for PhD students, giving them the chance to travel and gain valuable expertise and international exposure.

ADELAIDE DENTAL SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE – AUSTRALIA

Acknowledged as one of Australia’s leading research-intensive dental schools, Adelaide Dental is well placed to get you recognised for your abilities regardless of where you are in the world.

As a student, you will be guided by staff who have been awarded nationally for their outstanding teaching, knowledge and practical skills. Combining theory with hands-on, practical experience, students work at the state-of-the-art Adelaide Dental Simulation Clinic and on clinical placements with quality dental health providers throughout South Australia.

You’ll also have the opportunity to study overseas through a range of programmes, including student exchange, study tours and summer and winter schools. There are many exciting opportunities in Asia and Europe. As a final year student, you’ll also have the chance to undertake part of your clinical placement rotation during a two-week trip to Vietnam, visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Danang and Hanoi. During your study tour you’ll work as part of a clinical team in local schools and private practices.

FACULTY OF DENTISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO – NEW ZEALAND

Founded in 1907, the Faculty of Dentistry – or Te Kaupeka Pūniho locally – is New Zealand’s National Centre for Dentistry and has an international reputation for clinical and research excellence.

The Faculty is ranked 29^th Best Dental School in the World according to the 2017 QS World University Subject Rankings, and offers undergraduate programmes in all branches of dentistry; including Dental Technology, Dentistry, and Oral Health.

On a mission to provide high-quality postgraduate education and training in order to improve health nationally and internationally, the Faculty also offers Continuing Professional Development programmes for working oral health professionals. These include Clinical Excellence Day, Clinical Crown Lengthening – Theory and Practice, Dental Technology Day, SJWRI Research Day, and Temporomandibular Disorders.

You are sure to get the valuable experience you need at Otago, with over 60,000 patient treatments each year happening in the Clinical Services Block.

FACULTY OF DENTISTRY, THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG (HKU) – HONG KONG

Ranked 26^th Best University in the World and 4^th Best in Asia, according to the QS World University Rankings, the University of Hong Kong has been delivering world-class dental training for more than 30 years.

It approaches dental education in a unique way with problem-based learning, which involves students learning based on situations resembling real-life “problems”. This conceptualised approach allows students to be exposed to the main elements that underpin dental surgery.

The end result of this is that HKU students become caring, competent dental practitioners who are capable of life-long independent learning.

The Faculty’s new flagship virtual-hub for curriculum innovation and research – Centre for Innovation in Dental Education (CIDE) – was created to encourage innovation and promote excellence in teaching and learning in dentistry.

The postgraduate courses provide internationally recognised degrees and diplomas, the majority of which are accredited by the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, making it valuable currency across the globe.

FACULTY OF DENTISTRY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE (NUS) – SINGAPORE

The Faculty of Dentistry at NUS is one of the best and most diverse in the region, covering an impressive five disciplines of dental education; including Discipline of Oral Sciences, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Endodontics, Operative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, Periodontics, and Orthodontics and Paediatric Dentistry.

This wide variety of specialisms means, regardless of the direction you want to take your dental career, you’ll find the right course for you here. Residency programmes are also available as part of the course, on which students have the opportunity to manage and treat patients assigned to them to cover a wide range of cases in each specialty, while also having the ability to carry out independent research investigations and critically evaluate scientific publications.

This inter-disciplinary approach and hands-on experience proves invaluable when embarking on working life in the competitive global market.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International