Dentistry Placements in Tanzania, Arusha
Government regional hospital - Our placements are based in the largest government-run institution in the area, with a busy dental outpatients department. Many Tanzanians suffer from dental fluorosis due to contaminated water and diet, so working with severe decay and advanced disease is inevitable. Once you have built a close relationship with your supervisor, there is scope for hands-on work in a range of treatments and surgeries.
Government district hospital - The smaller district hospitals offer a more basic level of care. These centres are largely understaffed and lack basic resources such as dental handpieces, so your role within these close knit teams will involve lots of manual work in extractions and scaling, often with a need to be quite creative in treatment and use whatever resources are available.
Private clinic - We have a great relationship with a church-funded dental clinic that charges patients but subsidises poorer Tanzanians. It is better equipped than the hospital and offers a range of services including fillings, minor and major surgeries and root canal treatment. The supervisor is excellent and students will find they can get involved in scalings, amalgam and composite restorations and veneers, as well as extractions.
Don't forget - if your preferred speciality is not listed, give us a call as we can usually accommodate most requests.
Split placements - If you are in Tanzania for more than three weeks, it's a brilliant place to do a split placement. We can arrange time in both the regional or district hospital, as well as in the private clinics. There is also the option to travel further afield to our programmes in Lake Victoria or Dar, which includes a dental outreach project on the island of Zanzibar.
Group placements - Arusha is a great option for groups of dentists as we can place up to 6 students at any one time.
Maasai village healthcare - To complement your city placement, we offer a fantastic opportunity to spend a week living in a rural Maasai community. There is not much call for dental treatment but working in a local dispensary is good experience for those interested in primary healthcare, and living with the Maasai is a unique cultural experience. Read more on our Maasai Village Healthcare experience page.
Check out case studies from students that have taken their dentistry elective placement in Arusha.