UADS Career Webinar Day 2: Charting The Pathway

"People often act surprised or even shocked when I tell them I took a #300 million loan. I tell them, even if it were #500 million or #700 million, I'd take it. Because I know that, at the end of the day, it's worth it."  

-Dr. Isaac Adegbola 

It has now become the lore of modern tales that hundreds of dental students in Nigeria bury their heads in their books, all in pursuit of the dream of donning the warmers and hats of overseas lands, where snow and icy dews abound.

To provide clearer insights into the cultural, academic, and geographical transition involved, a webinar was organized by executives of the Unibadan Association of Dental Students. The Webinar, which kick-started on the 25th of January with very educative sessions featuring two accomplished dentists currently practicing in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, concluded on the 26th of January with an in-depth review of the pathways and modalities for practicing as a licensed dentist in the United States of America. 

The speaker of the day, Dr Isaac Adegbola, an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, is an experienced dentist whose wealth of experience and certifications, both in Nigeria and countries across continental America, provided us with an evening of immeasurable resources and invaluable information. Dr Adegbola worked as a resident at OAUTH, Osun state, Nigeria, before serving years at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, Nigeria. During his studentship years, he demonstrated leadership and advocacy in his capacity as the Editor-in-Chief of Dentatics Press and the Secretary-General of the National Association of Dental Students, Nigeria. His professional journey took him beyond Nigeria, where he worked as a Dental Assistant at Children's Dental Health Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He also served as an observing dentist at Ste. Rose Dental Clinic in Manitoba, Canada, and at Destiny Dental Clinic in Kalamazoo, Canada. In these institutions, he further developed his dental expertise by actively participating in treatment planning, case discussions, and radiographic reviews. Dr. Adegbola completed his Doctor of Dental Surgery(DDS) programme at the University of Colorado in 2024. 

The programme started promptly at 18:00 WAT with a brief speech by Mr. Okelue, who highlighted the purpose of the webinar. He expressed his gratitude and delight at the diversity of attendees, noting their representation from UADS, CUDENSA, IFEDSA, ULADS, and other equally prestigious dental student associations across the country. He explained that the event was birthed out of students' need for education on relocation requirements. 

"I am so glad to see that we have other members of NADS here, not just UADS," the guest speaker remarked. "The school affiliations we have here fade away abroad. When we get over there, we are all Nigerians, no distinctions."

Dr Adegbola then provided an overview of his journey to practicing dentistry in the United States. He explained that he graduated in 2010, completed his internship in 2011, fulfilled his national youth service obligation in 2012, and worked as a resident dentist in Ife and Lokoja from 2013 to 2019. In 2019, he travelled to Canada, wrote his exams in 2020, moved to the United States in 2021, began school in 2022, and graduated as a licensed dentist in 2024. 

"It took me five years from when I travelled to becoming licensed," he noted. "One thing you should know is that the time varies for everyone. Some do it in two years, some in three years, and some in five, six, or seven years. It varies." 

He highlighted the repressive close-marking system in Nigerian medical schools, which has resulted in low GPAs for many seeking to practice abroad, falsely representing their academic capabilities. He emphasized the need to re-evaluate the grading system, noting that the score equivalent for an A grade in Nigeria(70, 75, depending on the institution) is considered a C grade overseas, as the A grade starts at 90. 

He explained that there are two pathways for foreign-trained dentists to practice as licensed dentists in the U.S. - the Advanced Standing Programmes for internationally trained dentists and the Residency Programmes. Both pathways require candidates to take three exams - the Advanced Dental Admission Test(ADAT), which is specifically required for the Residency Programme; Integrated National Dental Board Examination (INDBE), which can be taken independently; and TOEFL, a language proficiency test designed to asses the English proficiency of candidates whose native language is not English. He assured the audience that support groups and social communities have been established by already licensed Nigerian dentists in the U.S. to assist those preparing for these exams. He added that these support systems have significantly increased the chances of success, with over 95% of members passing their exams on their first attempt.  

Dr. Isaac Adegbola also addressed the issue of funding. He explained that there are two financing options available for students who cannot afford the fees personally- the co-signed and the non-co-signed loan. The key difference is that a co-signed loan requires a legal U.S. resident with a good credit score to act as a co-signer for the loan, whereas a non-co-signed loan does not require a co-signer. However, to secure a non-co-signed loan, the applicant must have a good credit history in their home country. The repayment duration is set at 25 years; however, most students typically pay it off within 5 to 10 years. 

The webinar concluded at approximately 19:16 WAT, with the speaker providing useful links to some of the exams and an interactive Q&A session.

Abdulrahmon Quareeb