Message of Our Dean, Prof. Dr. Ali Alp SAĞLAM, on November 22 Dentists' Day

117 years ago, with the establishment of the Dişçi Mekteb-i Aliyesi (Darülfünun Ottoman Medical Faculty Dental School) on November 22, 1908, within the Ottoman Medical Faculty in Istanbul, our dentistry journey, which began and was placed on a scientific platform, has now transformed into a large family with 105 Faculties, 132 ADSM affiliated with the Ministry of Health, and countless private clinics, polyclinics, and hospitals providing oral and dental health services outside the public sector, employing 38,200 general practitioners and 5,000 specialist dentists, totaling 43,200 dentists.

In our country, there are 36.7 dentists and 5.9 specialist dentists per 100,000 people. Although these numbers are far below the average figure of 67 in the 28 countries forming the European Union, it is inevitable that we will reach the same level in a few years. The fact that the number of students in Dentistry Faculties has increased 6.5 times in the last 16 years will make the qualifications of the graduating or soon-to-graduate dentists debatable.

It is stated in EU reports that the decay-missing-filled teeth index or DMFT index value, which is the most important indicator of oral and dental health, can be reduced without increasing the number of dentists per population. This is possible by raising awareness in our society about oral and dental health and through preventive dentistry.

As a university, we will do our best to raise the habit of visiting the dentist, which is at 30% levels in our country, to the 80% levels in EU countries. We are also aware that we need to raise awareness in our society about oral and dental health and undertake professional and social responsibility projects befitting the name and motto of our University. 

As in every profession, of course, there are some problems in the dentistry profession as well. However, we believe that over time these deficiencies and problems will reach more positive places for our profession. On this occasion, I congratulate all our dentists on November 22, Turkish Dentistry Day, and greet everyone with love and respect.

Prof. Dr. Ali Alp SAĞLAM

Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry