Dental Professionals Association

Infotech Building, Office 106 #1090 Arcadia Street
Hatfield Pretoria 0002
012-430-2763
dpa.org.za/index.php/contact-us

ABOUT DPA:

The DPA is a progressive association that is tasked with empowering its members to realise their full potential. This is done through a consistent advocacy and engagement with external stakeholder, especially government institutions, regulatory bodies, universities and healthcare funders.

At an industry level, we partner with dental companies and other relevant suppliers to organise workshops, study groups and conferences that enable members to stay abreast of all the innovations and technologies and to attain competence and excellence in the profession.

Most importantly, the DPA is a community that is focused on mentorship. These range from practice management, entrepreneurship, continuous professional development, social support, friendship and solidarity.

In the DPA, you are never alone!!!

 

OUR VISION:

A country where all citizens have equal access to quality healthcare and oral healthcare; where healthcare providers and communities are at the heart of the healthcare system.

OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

Attainment of universal access to healthcare. Leaders in the provision of dental and oral health services. Attainment of prosperity for all our members.

OUR GOVERNANCE:

The DPA is incorporated as a company, not-for-profit, in terms of the Companies Act, 2008. It is led by the board of directors that consists of 6 members who are elected by the annual general meeting. The board of directors is also the executive committee and with the chairman being the chief executive of the association.

The history of the DPA can be traced to the induction of the first cohort of Dental Therapy students in 1975, at the Madikoti Advanced College of Technology, at Seshego. Prior to that, the training of black people as dentists was illegal under the apartheid legislation, except by a special permission by the Minister of Education.

The training of the dental therapy students was eventually transferred to the Ga-Rankuwa Hospital and the first graduation and oath taking took place at the end of 1977. The graduation class consisted of 12 candidates and they received certificates as Licentiates in Dental Therapy (LDT).

The first black person to graduate in dentistry in South Africa however, was Dr Kenneth Mathobela and he was joined by Dr Teresa Nxumalo in 1977. She was the first black woman to graduate as a dentist in South Africa and the two were eventually married to each other.

The establishment of the Medical University of Southern Africa (Medunsa) provided the impetus for the accelerated training of black dental professionals with the first intake of students in 1978 having registered for a Diploma in Dental Therapy and their subsequent graduation in 1981.The first intake of dental students at Medunsa begun in 1982 and the first dentists graduated in 1988.

The DPA was founded in 1992 as an arm of the South African Medical and Dental Association (SAMDP) that was responsible for advancing issues that were related to dentists and dentistry within healthcare. This was an important development given that black dentists were very few and a special purpose vehicle was thus necessary to advance their interests.With the transition to a democratic dispensation in South Africa in 1994, there were moves that were undertaken to unite the disparate dental association into one organisation. The Dental Association of South Africa (DASA), the Independent Dental Practitioners of South Africa (IDP), the National Dental Forum (NDF), and the DPA merged to form the South African Dental Association (SADA).

With the merger, the DPA remained as a special interest group within SADA, but was incorporated separately in 1996. However the merger unravelled in 2013, and the DPA has been operating as an independent entity ever since.

Map of Dental Professionals Association Infotech Building, Office 106 #1090 Arcadia Street, Hatfield Pretoria 0002

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