Six of the 30 graduates from the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry were internationally trained dentists.
The foreign-trained dentists—originally educated in Nigeria, Hungary and India—earned their Canadian credentials through UM’s International Dentist Degree Program (IDDP), said the university. The IDDP is a two-year program for dentists who hold a minimum four-year university dental degree not recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada.
Last year, 35 students graduated from UM’s dentistry program, including seven from the IDDP program.
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With the Canadian Occupational Projection System predicting a national labour shortage of dentists over the next decade, 2024 marked a five-year high for foreign-trained dentists immigrating to Canada.
Also graduating this year were 26 students from UM’s School of Dental Hygiene and 31 from the College of Pharmacy.
In total, 188 new health professionals—including dentists, dental hygienists and pharmacists—were celebrated during the spring convocation ceremony held May 15 on the Bannatyne campus. According to Health Canada, the country anticipates a shortfall of approximately 78,000 doctors by 2031 and 117,600 nurses by 2030.