History and Overview

Since its formal inception in 1978, The Federal College of Dental Technology & Therapy Enugu has been a prominent and leading institution in dental education, research, patient care and community outreach.

For more than 30 years, the College has been very active in producing dental technologists and therapists, provided patient care and continuing education opportunities, and contributed research discoveries to improve life for the people of Nigeria and beyond.

The 62-year-old Institution before now operated as a two department Institution awarding National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Dental Technology and Dental Therapy. This by no means could compete favourably amongst other higher Institutions of learning in Nigeria and Africa.

With a clear understanding on reasons for which the Institution was created by the British government in 1952 as a Centre of Excellence in Professional Education to attract students from Africa in times past, there was an urgent need to take necessary steps in ensuring that accreditation of the two programs the College offers, were revalidated and NBTE invited for the Reaccreditation of courses which recorded success in the fullness of time. Also, the Dental Technologists Board and Dental Therapists Board visited the institution for Board accreditations and other necessary compliance process.

This process upon clearance gave a lead to the starting of five (5) new programs namely; Dental Nursing, Biomedical Engineering, Social Work, Public Health, Prosthetic and orthotics and a special program in Professional Health Attendants (PHA) a diploma Course moderated by the Department of Pure and Applied Sciences.

The College from then on was restructured into a School system having the School of Dental Technology and Engineering, School of Health Sciences and School of Pure and Applied Sciences, However, with the affiliation status from the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), the College metamorphosed into:

1. Faculty of Dental Health, with the following departments: Dental Technology, Dental Therapy and Dental Nursing.

1. Faculty of Health Technology and Engineering, with the following departments: Biomedical Engineering, Prosthetics and Orthotics and Public Health department. 

iii. Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, with the following departments: Applied Sciences, General Studies and Social Work.

The College within this period of three years has made history because, Dental Nursing program both at ND/HND is now a household discipline. The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria also visited the College to provide accreditation and also upgrade the Dental Nursing program as a new specialty in the Nursing career, making the College the first institution in Africa to receive both NBTE and Council accreditation in Dental Nursing.

Currently, the Biomedical Engineering program also runs at both diploma and degree level with Dental as a major, it is also first of its kind in Africa, since the beginning of Biomedical Engineering program in the College, the repairs and revitalization of the College medical equipment have been handled by the department, thereby saving the College huge sum being cost incurred during repairs and maintenance. It is important to mention here that Biomedical Engineering program in the College places our institution as the second institution of learning awarding such degree in Nigeria.

Ø The Biomedical Engineering Department since creation have produced Medical Waste Incinerator for campus use, Automated Walking Stick for visual impaired persons, Stretcher for emergency victims, hospital beds, laboratory stools, and workshop tables amongst other innovations. Also, the repairs and maintenance of automated dental chairs, oven, sterilizing machines, autoclaves and other dental and medical equipment owned by the College are carried out with ease at little or no cost on the College.

Ø The College through her Directorate of Entrepreneurship created in less than two years for purpose of value addition to the College has witnessed tremendous shift in training students to develop special entrepreneur skills for self-relevance and public consumption, hence the Department segmented into two to cover special units:

1. Vocational and Skills Acquisition Unit: Training students to acquire adequate production skill and knowledge of market value, the program is certificate awarding, hence our students graduate with additional certificate i.e. Certificate of Competency in any chosen field of endeavour.

1. Academic Entrepreneurship Services: This unit engages student’s head-on with entrepreneurship course work and gives platform for on the spot skill assessment through identification of entrepreneurial gaps within the campus and ensuring solutions provided.

As a result of these Directorate activities, the College now produces paints of any kind and the walls of the entire College wears same with the painting process carried out by students from that department. Also, sanitation materials like liquid soap, bar soap, fumigation chemicals, and disinfectant for purpose of general cleaning are internally produced by the College thereby saving cost and also providing a safe and healthy environment for all.

So far, The College can boast of thousands of Dental Technologists and Dental Therapists, who currently practice in various Medical institutions as well as other related Health organisations both within and outside Nigeria.