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Malaysia Needs More Dentists, You Won't Believe How Many More

There is a severe shortage of dentists in Malaysia, but the Health Ministry and the Education Ministry is looking to solve this problem in the next few years.

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According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the average dentist to patient ratio in industrialised countries is 1:2,000

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the average dentist to patient ratio in industrialised countries is 1:2000

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However, the current dentist to patient ratio in Malaysia is 1:6,000

For every 6,000 people, there is one dentist. That’s the ratio of dentist to patients in Malaysia presently. This is expected to improve by 2020 with 15 institutions of higher learning offering dentistry to about 800 students yearly.

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Malaysia is in need of more than 5,000 dentists to achieve the desired dentist to patient ratio

Malaysia is still in need of more than 5,000 dentists in order to achieve the desired ratio.

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Health Minister Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam says there are currently 4,558 dentists in Malaysia

According to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. S. Subramaniam, almost 4,558 dentists were at present there in the country. Nearly 58% of all of them were working either government clinics or hospitals.

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In March 2013, Higher Education Minister says Malaysia is expected to achieve 1:3,000 ratio by 2020

According to Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Malaysia is expected to achieve a ratio of 1:3,000 patients in the next seven years. However, this number is not enough to serve the country’s population of 29 million.

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The health ministry has been working closely with universities to increase the number of dentistry students

Dr Subramaniam said the ministry has been working closely with universities to increase the intake of dentistry students. He said last year saw the graduation of 315 dentistry students and the number increased to 815 this year.

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The health ministry has been working closely with universities to increase the number of dentistry students

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“And we are expecting the passing out of another 1,100 students next year,” he said at the “My Teeth My Pearl” Oral Health Carnival officiated by the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor at a shopping mall here yesterday.

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Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor says children need oral healthcare ever since they were conceived

Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor says children need oral healthcare ever since they are conceived

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In the view of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, a child needed oral healthcare ever since he was in the womb of his mother.

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According to research conducted in 2005, she said, some 76.2% children have dental caries problem and each child has an average of six cavities. “This problem is worrying, but it can be prevented by taking care of oral health from infancy,” she added.

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There are currently 50 dental clinics in the country

There are currently 50 dental clinics in the country

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Dr Subramaniam said the ministry has also launched the oral health programme at 874 kindergartens, involving 17,722 children, last year.

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He said there were a total of 50 dental clinics and a mobile dental unit in the country. Apart from this, dental departments have also been set up at 929 schools, 570 health clinics and 65 hospitals.

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