A renowned oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Prof. Felix Chukwuneke, on Monday said the country needed no fewer than 300,000 dental surgeons to boost oral health care.

Chukwuneke, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) said the number is at least the minimum to cover the 36 states and Abuja.

The don, who spoke with the Newsmen in Enugu Campus of the institution, advocated for more dental surgeons to ensure the oral health of Nigerians.

He disclosed that the current number of dental surgeons in the country is inadequate to take care of a population of about 190 million people.

“For now, the number of oral and maxillofacial surgeons is inadequate considering the importance of oral health to the life of any person.

“When you also consider the country’s population of about 190 million people, you see that we needed more oral and maxillofacial surgeons,’’ he said.

The dean encouraged more students to study dentistry as the employment potential of the course is high within and outside the country.

“The course is very lucrative globally and it has a bright future prospect,’’ Chukwuneke.