UNAM students improve oral health

Creative new project
UNAM health sciences students have developed low-cost assistive oral hygiene tools as part of an Interprofessional Education initiative aimed at improving healthcare access for vulnerable groups.
Marina Antonio
  • 1 Day Ago

The University of Namibia (UNAM) Hage Geingob Campus Faculty of Health Sciences and Veterinary Medicine hosted an Interprofessional Education (IPE) initiative in March, designed to strengthen collaboration between healthcare disciplines and address gaps in Namibia’s healthcare system.

The project brought together 18 fourth-year dental students and 15 third-year occupational therapy students. By combining their expertise, they developed practical, inclusive tools intended to improve oral hygiene for vulnerable groups.

The event featured seven interactive stations where students demonstrated custom-made devices and explained the rationale behind their designs. An expert panel assessed the projects on innovation, teamwork, clinical relevance and communication.

Representatives from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, special needs educators and healthcare professionals attended the showcase to observe the work in practice.

By bringing together students from different medical disciplines, the initiative focused on developing practical solutions to improve access to oral healthcare for elderly people and individuals with physical or cognitive impairments. It also emphasised affordability and real-world applicability in low-resource settings.

“Participating in this outreach initiative transformed my perspective on oral healthcare for vulnerable populations. It deepened my awareness of the daily challenges they face and how easily oral health can be neglected without proper intervention,” said fourth-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery student Petrina Ndakukamo.

One of the key themes of the project was innovation in low-resource settings. Instead of developing costly devices, students were encouraged to design affordable, practical tools suitable for everyday use.

The project was spearheaded by Dr Arthur Chigova and Dr Nyaradzai Esther Munambah, lecturers at the respective schools, who said the initiative demonstrated the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration in healthcare training.