Department of Periodontology and Community Dentistry

Prof. Folake B. LAWAL
  Departmental Head 
Department of Periodontology & Comm. Dentistry 

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PERIODONTOLOGY AND COMMUNITY DENTISTRY 

Foundation/Emergence
The Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree programme was established in 1975 as a Department with the aim of producing highly skilled Dental Surgeons comparable to those trained in the developed countries.  The first set of Dental Students started their clinical training in 1977 and the programme attained full accreditation by the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council in 1978. 
The single Dentistry Department was split into four autonomous departments in August 1981.  The  present Department of Periodontology and Community Dentistry was then part of the Department of Preventive Dentistry which was one of the four Departments at that time consisting of four different discipline/units namely:  Periodontology; Dental Public Health; Paedodontics and Orthodontics . The Development Committee of the Senate of the University of Ibadan approved the creation of these Departments in 1985 and four departments were accorded full Faculty status in April 2002.  
The staff strength in the Department then increased to eight (8) and this also brought up the need to split the Department of Preventive Dentistry to ensure compliance with the normal academic structure the world over and as recommended by the National University Commission (NUC) minimum standards.  The Department was then officially split into two Departments (Periodontology and Community Dentistry and Child Oral Health) in the year 2004.  The Department of Periodontology and Community Dentistry currently has staff strength of seven (7) academic members of staff, four (4) in Community Dentistry Unit and three (3) in Periodontology Unit. 

Site/Facilities 
The Department at inception was housed as Preventive Dentistry alongside the other three Departments (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Restorative Dentistry and Oral Pathology)  in the Faculty at the Dental Centre, University  College Hospital, Ibadan.  This then consisted of two buildings – one serving as offices and the other as the clinic, with a lecture theatre.  On July 30, 2004, two (2) new buildings were commissioned to serve as office complex and another lecture theatre. With further expansion of the Faculty, another set of two buildings were commissioned on October 22, 2012, which had been shared by the Departments in the Faculty of Dentistry. 

Foundation Staff 
The first Acting Head of Department was Dr. M.O. Noah.  The headship of  this Department was subsequently taken over after Dr. Noah as follows:

-          Dr. Gbemi O. Aderinokun

-          Dr. Modupe O. Arowojolu

-          Dr. Obafunke O. Denloye

-          Prof. Gbemi  A. Oke (nee Aderinokun)

-          Dr. Modupe O. Arowojolu

-          Dr. Juliana O. Taiwo and currently

-          Dr. Elizabeth B. Dosumu