ILOILO City – The Department of Education (DepEd) in Western Visayas currently has only 71 authorized positions for Dentists I and II, a number allocated by the DepEd Central Office to oversee the oral and dental health of learners in public schools across the region.
Of these 71 positions, only 58 have been filled, leaving 12 vacancies as of the latest count.
These 58 dentists, along with 32 dental aides, serve 4,057 public schools, catering to approximately 1,727,920 learners throughout the region to ensure they receive adequate dental care.
DepEd Region 6 information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. confirmed this in an interview, stating, “We have 71 authorized positions for Dentists I and II, but only 58 are currently filled, with 12 still unoccupied.”
Escullar explained that the unfilled positions remain vacant due to the ongoing hiring process, pending postings, document processing, appointment issuances, and difficulties in filling certain roles.
Some positions, such as guidance counselor posts, are particularly challenging to fill due to Civil Service Commission (CSC) guidelines, he said.
Despite these challenges, Escullar assured that DepEd-6 continues to post and hire for these vacancies until all positions are filled. In the meantime, school dentists schedule visits to public schools to ensure that all learners receive dental care at least once a year.
Strategies to Address Shortage
Despite the limited number of authorized dentist positions, Escullar emphasized that this has not hindered the delivery of dental health services to students.
Schools Division Offices (SDOs) collaborate with local government units (LGUs), such as Municipal Health Offices (MHOs), City or Provincial Health Offices (C/PHOs), and organizations like the Philippine Dental Association, to extend dental services to students, he explained.
For instance, said Escullar, SDO-Roxas City has launched a Dental Health Program in partnership with the Philippine Dental Association, regularly offering oral examinations, tooth extractions, fluoride varnish applications, and educational campaigns to promote dental health among students.
Similarly, some LGUs, such as the Municipality of Pavia in Iloilo, conduct school-based dental health services in partnership with private organizations to enhance dental care accessibility.
“Even though we only have 71 authorized dentist positions in the region, we do not allow this limitation to hinder our efforts in providing dental care for our learners and personnel. Instead, we tap into partnerships to ensure the continuous delivery of essential health services to our students,” Escullar said./PN
