Dental Education and Oral Health Service in Iraq
From an economic and health perspective, all oral health issues have a significant impact on many sectors, including personal, social, and governmental in both developing and developed nations. Iraq is one of these countries. The National Health Service (NHS), private industry, and dental schools all offer oral health services in Iraq.
After 2003, Iraq saw a significant development in the oral health service. According to records kept by the Iraqi Dental Association (IDA), there were less than 3000 dentists who were registered prior to 2003. In 2010, there were 4863 dentists, or 1.7 dentists per 10,000 people. With a population ratio of 2.3/10000, there are now 7277 dentists who are registered as IDA members.
There are currently more than 8500 dentists who are registered, making 2.6 dentists for every 10,000 people. Because of the newly established dental schools (Government & Private), this number will gradually rise. This will result in more people graduating from dental schools.
The MOH offers dental care at very low cost—roughly half a dollar ($0.50) per course of treatment. And the dental visits to private sectors also have lower costs compared to other countries with similar quality of service.
References
Albujeer AN, Taher A. Dental Education and Oral Health Service in Iraq. Iran J Public Health. 2017 May;46(5):713-714. PMID: 28560206; PMCID: PMC5442288.
Murtomaa H. (2016). Better Oral Health To All. J Contemp Med Sci, 2(8):115. [Google Scholar]
Iraq Ro. Iraqi Constitution. http://www.iraqinationality.gov.iq/attach/iraqi_constitution.pdf
Ministry of Health Iraq. http://health.mo.gov/safety/homecare/xls/hospiceannualreport.xls
