Receiving an education is something that is able to make people better, smarter and a more contributory force within their community and society as a whole. Unfortunately, the access to education isn’t readily available to certain people around the world. In fact, there are some people in some locations that actually have a hard time just making it to school on a daily basis because of issues in their city, violence, poverty, etc.
As time moves forward however, there are always glimmers of hope. A university in Pakistan is a shining example of this. “January 2015 marked the beginning of the DDH (Diploma in Dental Hygiene) program at AKU Karachi campus with the first class of 10 students. This inaugural date symbolizes the beginning of a brand new career of dental hygiene in Pakistan. With the first year completed, they look forward to welcoming 14 students for 2016. The dental hygiene education program is competency-based, with a strong foundation in dental hygiene theory, dental hygiene skills lab, preclinical and clinical practice as well as community health and outreach components. Pakistan has a high incidence of oral diseases, including early childhood periodontal diseases. Oral cancer rates in this region are high, principally related to the social habit of chewing areca nut and similar derivatives. There is a lack of awareness of its negative consequences, and there is lack of trained dental professionals in the country. Those with oral diseases are burdened with lack of timely access to care, unaffordability of dental treatment, and low perceived need for preventive treatment.”
Education is something that we are lucky enough to have access to here in Canada and is definitely something no one should ever take for granted.
