SEGi bites back on drawbacks plaguing dentistry in Malaysia

DENTISTRY is one of the oldest professions, and dental health is essential to overall general health.  

With changing lifestyles, dental problems are becoming very common in all sections of society. Qualified dental practitioners are crucial in ensuring that the nation has strong oral wellbeing, which is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and countenance.  

However, university graduates find Dentistry as one of the highly competitive industries.  

Among the issues faced are the long queue of up to six to nine months for compulsory service placements, unemployment during the wait as they do not have the required legal requirement to practice until the accomplishment of compulsory service, and difficulty in securing employment in the public sector due to the present shortage of posts. 

SEGi University is one of the 13 higher education institutions in Malaysia that offer programmes in Dentistry.  

SEGi’s Dean of Dental Faculty, Prof. Dato’ Dr Ahmad Termizi Zamzuri explained that graduates from both local and foreign institutions must complete their one-year compulsory service before they can legally practice dentistry in Malaysia.  

“Dentistry is an equipment-based profession. The previous Dental Act 1971, which has regulated the industry for over 50 years, limited graduates to do their compulsory service in the public sector,” he explained. 

“While they can opt to continue with their contracts for a further two years, only the crème de la crème personnel are offered permanent posts. 

“There aren’t enough permanent posts and facilities, especially the dental chairs to accommodate all graduates.”  

Termizi elaborated that Malaysia’s dentistry landscape has significantly improved in recent years. According to the Dental Act 2018 (Act 804) implemented on Jan 1, 2022, graduates now have the option to complete their compulsory service either in the public or private sectors. 

 On Aug 18, the Health Ministry (MOH) announced the approval of 4,053 applications for permanent positions covering 3,215 doctors, 438 dentists and 400 pharmacists, with 225 candidates on the standby list.  

To this, Termizi commented: “The recent announcement by MOH is indeed great news and coupled with the new Dental Act 2018, graduates have more channels to fast-track their journey into becoming ‘fully registered’ dentists in Malaysia.” 

 

“There will always be a demand for qualified dentists in the country and worldwide. Aspiring dentists should realise that there is so much more to dentistry than just oral health care, and with the right mindset, it is one of the noblest professions,” he added.  

SEGi University has consistent student enrolment every year. Its five-year programme combines pre-clinical and clinical modules; students also receive hands-on training at the SEGi Oral Health Centre, which includes the policlinics, simulation and prosthetic laboratory.  

“The Faculty of Dentistry is engaged in oral health education, research, patient care and community service. Our teaching facilities include state-of-the-art dental units, prosthetic workstations, simulator units and dental x-ray machines,” said Termizi.   

Furthermore, the faculty is actively involved in the Malaysian Dental Students’ Association (MDSA), whereby SEGi’s students have been elected as MDSA’s president for two consecutive years (2021/2022 and 2022/2023).  

SEGi University is renowned for being an Outstanding QS 5 Stars Plus University (for the assessment year 2022-2024).  

This prestigious recognition places SEGi as one of only 20 universities worldwide and one of only two Malaysian universities to achieve an overall QS 5 Stars Plus Rating.  

SEGi attained QS 5 Stars rating in eight evaluations, including Academic Development, Teaching and Employability. 

For more information about all the programmes available at SEGi, visit www.segi.edu.my. – Sept 14, 2022    

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