Partnerships and Collaborations

Partners

Formal and informal agreements for cooperation in education and research have been concluded with universities in the USA, Canada, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Several of the staff members of the School of Dentistry serve on the editorial boards of international journals as well as on the executive committees or councils of international associations and organisations, such as the International Association for Dental Research, the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the International Organisation for Forensic Odontostomatology. 

A number of undergraduate and postgraduate students from universities in Europe, Scandinavia and Australia spend part of their training in the School of Dentistry, while some of the pregraduate students from the School of Dentistry spend part of their training at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Community Service

All the departments in the School of Dentistry contribute to the community service projects in the School. All the undergraduate students are being exposed to the community service projects in the schools in and around Pretoria, Hammanskraal and the Phelophepa Health Train. The community service projects include, among other things, a mobile oral health service in Hammanskraal. The project serves aspects of preventive and interceptive oral health services to schools, particularly in Hammanskraal, and is an excellent source for material for community-based research. For example, an extensive project in tooth bleaching for patients with tooth discoloration as a result of fluorosis is currently being launched.

With the projects in and around Pretoria, a comprehensive preventive oral health service is being offered to crèches, schools and institutions for physically and mentally disabled people. The Phelophepa Health Train is a project of Transnet in which the School is actively participating. The train goes on a route through the country and visits far-away rural areas where there are very little or no oral health care facilities. All the undergraduate students in Dentistry and Oral Hygiene are participating in this and they render a wide-ranging service under the supervision of a dentist.

Internationalisation

Over the years, the School has been the host of various local and international visitors, guest lecturers and international external examiners, and there is also an international exchange programme for students. International exchange programmes for lecturers and students ensure that students and academic staff are continuously exposed to international standards. Lecturers of the School are attending international conferences and are doing international presentations on a regular basis. Various departments in the School have cooperation agreements with other universities and institutions and are invited to act as guest lecturers and examiners. Their international ties are expanded to countries such as India, Pakistan, Belgium, Britain, the United States, and various African countries.