Dental Housemanship in Nigeria is the compulsory one-year rotation done by all fresh Medical and Dental graduate who wishes to get a full Dental Registration/Dental license in Nigeria.
Hospitals that are under the centralized posting by MDCN pay Same salary and is currently #244,500 Monthly
You rotate through the 4 major departments and you spend 12 weeks in each department but some of them have sub units so you get to share the 12 weeks in the various units.
1)Child dental health (CDH) department is composed of
- Orthodontics: 6 weeks
- Pediatric dentistry: 6 weeks- Making a Total of 12 weeks
2) Oral and maxillofacial surgery department is just one so you do straight 12 weeks.
3) Oral Diagnosis Department
- Oral medicine/pathology: 6 weeks
- Periodontology:6 weeks
4) Restorative dentistry department
-Conservative dentistry: 8weeks
-Prosthodontics: 4 weeks
Making a total of 12 weeks
Comprehensive review of different centres in Nigeria for Dental Housemanship.
AMINU KANO TEACHING HOSPITAL, KANO (AKTH)
This is a federal teaching hospital in the heart of kano city with a wide land mass. The functional departments include. Orthodontics. Pediatric Dentistry. Maxillofacial surgery. Oral medicine / Diagnosis. Periodontology and Conservative and prosthodontics.
Work load/ Job description
The patient influx here is high because this centre is a major referral centre in the north for Dentistry
The workload differs depending on the unit you are. The greatest work load is in oral and maxillofacial surgery because of the high patient influx and you're expected to cover the wards, Emergency, Procedure room, theatre and clinic.
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You are also expected to do some procedures yourself while you assist in some. But generally, it is an avenue to perfect your skills in clerking and making proper diagnosis, proper prescription, suturing, cannulation, Catheterization, Intermaxillary fixations, Incision and drainage/ decompression, surgical and non surgical extractions, RCT, filling if you are diligent
The nurses give the bed side medications so you don't have to bother.
The senior officers (Residents and consultants) are just there. Although they request and expect strongly that you do every vital task assigned to you.
Accommodation:
Accommodation in AKTH house officers’ residence is wonderful. It is easier to get for the males and limited for the females.
And may take you weeks to get 1. Nevertheless, when you get an accommodation, you get a room to yourself with kitchen and bathroom and you are free to renovate as you like. Security is assured too
Accommodation is paid once accommodation is given: 90k
Salary: 267,500 (MDCN)
Flex:
There are alot of places to flex outside if you have money. However, Language barrier The patients here speak mostly hausa so you may battle with language barrier at first before you adapt and then find someone to translate for you or you can ask to see patients who speak English while your other colleagues see the ones who speak hausa
Food:
You can cook whenever you want light is constant. There is call food and drink
There are few places you can buy good food within the hospital and outside,
For an average spender, you may spend 3,000-4000 naira daily on food.
Dr. Immaculata (HO at AKTH)
What NEXT AFTER YOUR MDCN INDUCTION CEREMONY
National Hospital Abuja (NHA)
National hospital Abuja is a federal hospital. It has a lot of structures but they're mostly interconnected so you don't have to walk far.
Work load:
You're to rotate through 4 units here: Oral diagnosis/oral medicine; Restorative/conservative dentistry; Maxillofacial unit and Orthodontics unit.
They have at least one consultant in each department and senior registrars. Barely any registrar so the house officers take the role of registrars.
So it's a good centre if you want to develop your skills and be hands on as you get to do any procedure you want to do. They'd teach you first though before allowing you attempt.
The workload ranges from moderate to severe depending on what unit you are posted to. With maxillofacial and Restorative taking the cake.
The senior officers (Residents and consultants) are relatively friendly and provide an environment friendly enough to communicate your needs. Although they request and expect strongly that you do every vital tasks assigned to you.
Accommodation:
Accommodation is good but limited. They just have 3 rooms allocated officially to dental house officers that take 2 persons each.
So you can imagine the competition. Largely it had been noticed that most dental house officers prefer to stay outside the hospital.
But with the right connections, you can get accomodations in the medical house officers quarters. It may take a while though.
The rooms are adequate in size and are free.
You just pay your light bill with the rooms you share a meter with. Constant water and light. Most have air conditioners but hey, it's your light bill counting. The dental rooms are bigger than the medical rooms.
The rooms come with attached bathrooms with running water but no kitchen. Medical quarters have one kitchen space per flat of 4 rooms.
The quarters are about 5-8mins walking distance from the main hospital buildings, about 15mins walk from the gate. Good security for when you're on call at night.
Salary: 267,000 monthly.
Flex:
Alot of places to go and hang out. The hospital is in the heart of Abuja so you can get to anywhere you want. It's your money.
Transportation is not so easy and straightforward. Taxis happen to be the major means of transportation so most people tend to convert their private vehicles to public ones on their way out, so be careful of one chance.
Tricycles don't run in major roads just in streets. So bolt and Uber are the popular means of transportation around if you don't want to stand on the road begging for lifts just because taxis don't run the route you're taking. Abuja can be expensive and affordable at the same time.
Orderliness:
So far you do your job well, you won’t have a problem.
Most superiors are friendly when they see you making effort.
House officers do majority of the procedures and have to report to your chief present. You take calls when you're in maxillofacial unit, duration depends on how many house officers in the unit at the time.
Food:
You can cook whenever you want light is constant. There's call food but gotten with meal tickets given to each department to distribute.
There are few places you can buy good food within the hospital and around the hospital.
For an average spender, you may spend 5,000 naira daily on food within the hospital.
If you can afford it, you can simply order in from your favorite restaurants and have it delivered to you.
Dr. Kindness (HO @ NHA)
Lagos University teaching hospital (LUTH)
Lagos University teaching hospital is a federal teaching hospital in Idi araba, Ishaga road in Lagos mainland. The functional departments include.
1)Restorative dentistry(Conservative dent and Prosthodontics)
2)Child dental health (Pedo and Ortho)
3)Maxillofacial surgery. 4)Preventive dentistry (Oral medicine / Diagnosis, Periodontology and oral radiology)
5)Oral pathology
Work load/ Job description:
The patient influx here is high so you get to do a lot of hands on
The workload differs depending on the unit you are .
You spend 13 weeks in each department, 7 weeks in the first unit and 6 weeks in the second unit. You get to have 2 weeks leave in each department but in your second department, the 2 weeks leave would be used for going for secondary posting in oral pathology.
You only rotate 13 weeks each in the first 4 departments mentioned above.
You are also required to do presentations for each unit.
Due to the availability of a substantial amount of registras, snr registras and consultants, you will be opportuned to learn a whole lot esp if you set your mind to it. It is also a very work friendly environment.
Accommodation: Accommodation in LUTH house officers residence (called RMO) is given out through balloting which is done only twice a year.
t is very limited and I would advice you have an accomodation outside the hospital before planning on coming to Luth just in case you find it difficult getting one inside Luth.
If you are not in Lagos within the first week of being posted to luth, try and send in your MDCN posting letter through anyone to the Luth, Cemac office so they can accept you on portal because it takes some days after you submit your letter before you are accepted on the portal and you can't start your documentation process without being accepted on the portal.
The documentation process is a bit long and can take you almost a month to be done with so try as to have someone guide you so you can be a bit faster.
Salary: 267,000
Flex:
This is Lagos, of course there are many places to go and flex
A little draw back is that Lagos experiences a lot of issues of flooding. So whenever it rains, movement in some places is difficult especially if you live outside LUTH.
So it's either you leave before it rains or before the rains pour down so much that might lead to the flood or you just wait for a little while after the rains must have stopped for the flood to drain away.
Dr. Lilian (HO @ LUTH)
HOUSEMANSHIP IN UBTH AS DENTAL HOUSE OFFICER
University of Benin teaching hospital (UBTH) is a federal hospital, very big hospital and no surprise because it’s been recognized both in Nigeria and outside the country.
University of Benin teaching hospital has a quota of 16 dental house officers, so for each department, there can be at least 2 house officers.
Workload;
As a house officer in UBTH, you are to rotate through 6 departments, one month each in Community dentistry, Pedodontics and Orthodontics, three months each in Oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics and restorative dentistry (which is divided into prosthodontics and conservative dentistry).
Each department has more than 2 consultants, at least 3 senior registrars and a lot of registrars, it is a good center because even with the high number of doctors you still have the chance of laying your hand on a lot of procedures as long as you are willing to learn.
The workload varies depending on the department you are in, can be very tedious in Oral surgery and restorative dentistry because of the large turn up of patients, you will see a lot of cases in oral surgery.
Some of these cases, you probably have only read about them in books and thought they were very rare, you will do calls in oral surgery, and this is why I always encourage new dental house officers to start with oral surgery, so you can just do your three months of stress which involves attending to lots of patients and doing calls, after which you have the remaining 9 months to yourself closing by 4pm latest, and during your surgery posting, when you are on call, you are entitled to call food which is very rich, they are really trying in that aspect some departments even close by 2pm depending on the turnup of patients that day.
The consultants are not malignant at all, senior registrars might want to put pressure on you, but don’t shake, as long as you do your job as a house officer and you are respectful, they can’t do anything to you.
Accommodation;
UBTH has one of the best Accommodation I have seen for doctors, they have two buildings, HOR1 and HOR4 which are house officer residential building, very spacious rooms for two, large bathrooms and kitchen, light is almost 24/7 because the apartments are connected to the hospitals light, the rent for the apartments is very okay when compared with the benefits of living in the apartments, there is also constant water because there Is always light.
Salary;
house officers in UBTH are paid by MDCN so its #267,000
Flex;
Benin city is a cool place to spend your money because of its beautiful centers to have fun, the hospital and university of Benin are together so you can imagine the kind of centers you will see there so you can have fun since its around a school area, so you have to be careful not to finish your money here.
Food;
you can cook your meals yourself in the house officer’s resident or you can get food from the doctor’s lounge, the prices of food at the lounge have been subsidized an they sell for doctors primarily before selling for outsiders, with as low as 1500, I take good breakfast that can last me till 4pm, which is my closing time.
So generally, UBTH is a very busy Centre, if you schooled in a center where dentistry wasn’t really a busy department like mine, I will recommend UBTH so your eyes can open to a lot of experiences and it will even help you make a decision on the area you will like to specialize in.
Elliot Osamwonyi Ighile (BDS)
House officer, UBTH
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Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba
📍 Location:
FMC Asaba is located in the center of Asaba, Delta State. The hospital is accessible, situated within town with good transport links.
Structure
Dental house officers rotate through four units:
Oral Diagnosis
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS)
Restorative Dentistry
Child Dental Health
Consultants are available in all units, but no registrars, so house officers gain a lot of hands-on experience compared to most teaching hospitals.
Calls: House officers are on call in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Diagnosis. Frequency depends on the number of HOs in those units.
Seminars: Weekly presentations are compulsory. Each HO presents once per unit.
Workload
Restorative Dentistry and OMFS have the heaviest workload.
Workload is manageable, and exposure to a wide range of cases ensures solid skill development if you apply yourself.
Toxicity
FMC Asaba is regarded as one of the least toxic centers for Dental housemanship.
As long as you are diligent and follow instructions, you will have no issues with senior colleagues.
Accommodation
HO Quarters: Two buildings serve all HOs. No special rooms for dental HOs; allocation is based on availability.
Facilities: Each room comes with a bathroom and kitchen. Light and water supply are generally stable. Security within the quarters is adequate.
Cost: Accommodation is paid but affordable.
Alternative: Renting outside is possible but expensive, given Asaba’s high cost of living.
Salary & Allowances
Salary: ₦267,000 monthly (paid by MDCN).
Payment: Regular.
Call food: Currently not provided for dental HOs—you’ll need to make personal arrangements.
Lifestyle
Cost of living: Asaba is relatively expensive, so financial prudence is important.
Food: Foodstuff markets are available around the hospital, with restaurants and bukas of varying quality.
Recreation: The city has plenty of options for relaxation and fun. Neighboring towns also provide additional leisure opportunities.
Key Takeaway
FMC Asaba is an excellent choice for dental housemanship if you want hands-on exposure, minimal toxicity, and structured learning opportunities. The workload is manageable, though you’ll need to be financially disciplined given Asaba’s cost of living.
Contributor: Dr. Ruth (Dental HO, 2025)
🏥 University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) – Dental
Housemanship Review
📍 Location
Situated in the heart of Calabar, Cross River State.
Federal teaching hospital with a large and well-structured environment.
🏢 Structure & Departments
House officers rotate through five major units:
Child Dental Health (Orthodontics & Paediatric Dentistry)
3 Consultants (1 Paediatric, 2 Orthodontics).
High patient load during school breaks.
Preventive Dentistry (Periodontology & Community Dentistry)
1 Consultant in Community Dentistry.
Restorative Dentistry (Conservative & Prosthodontics)
1 Prosthodontics Consultant.
Oral Medicine / Diagnosis
1 Consultant.
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS)
2 Consultants and 2 Professors.
Heavy workload with extractions, I&D, trauma suturing, and surgeries.
⏱️ Workload & Rotation
11 weeks each in the first 3 units (depending on starting point).
10 weeks each in the remaining 2 units.
1 week leave per unit (4 weeks total) – usually at the end of a posting.
Workload is fair overall, but Oral Diagnosis & OMFS are busier.
House officers do most of the hands-on work since there are only 3 registrars total.
🧑⚕️ Training & Exposure
Strong clinical exposure with plenty of hands-on cases.
Oral Diagnosis is the entry point for most patients before referrals.
All house officers participate in calls (2–3 calls per month) regardless of posting.
👥 Toxicity / Work Environment
Consultants and registrars are generally friendly and approachable.
Good teamwork, less toxic compared to many centers.
🏠 Accommodation
Self-contained apartments available.
Facilities: wardrobes in all rooms, some with water heaters and fans.
Constant power supply (18–20 hours daily) and running water.
Mattress not provided (can buy from previous occupant).
Cost: ₦200,000 (installment payment allowed).
⚠️ Challenges
Acceptance is difficult for non-UCTH graduates.
External applicants may need MDCN or dean’s intervention to secure placement.
Once accepted, documentation and accommodation processes are smooth.
🍲 Feeding & Welfare
Food available at various points inside the hospital.
ARD lounge offers affordable meals (though limited and sells out fast).
Call food provided (2 plates – usually shared between HO and registrar).
🎉 Flex & Lifestyle
Plenty of relaxation spots and hangout centers in Calabar for those who can afford it.
Supportive work-life balance due to structured calls and leave.
Salary: Same as other MDCN centers (267,000/Month)
✅ Summary:
UCTH offers strong clinical exposure, fair workload, good accommodation, and a friendly environment. The main challenge is getting accepted if you didn’t school there, but once in, it’s a conducive center for dental housemanship.
Dr. chacha (HO at UCTH)
University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH)
Thinking about doing your dental housejob at UPTH? Here’s a detailed review covering rotations, workload, accommodation, salary, and lifestyle.
Location
Address: UPTH is located at Alakahia, along the East–West Road, Rivers State.
Accessibility: Easily accessible as soon as you enter Rivers State. While the hospital is fairly away from the main Port Harcourt city centre, there are good transportation links to all parts of the city.
Structure of Rotations
Dental House Officers rotate through four major units:
Child Dental Health
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Restorative Dentistry
Preventive Dentistry
Additionally, HOs do a one-week rotation per unit at the Oral Diagnosis Clinic, totaling at least one month across Oral Diagnosis.
Consultant Support: Each unit has consultants, senior registrars, and junior registrars. There’s always supervision and guidance, so you learn a lot if you stay consistent.
Workload
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS):
Heaviest workload.
Only HOs in this unit are placed on call (alternating days, very hectic).
Duties: clerking and presenting patients, assisting students with extractions, doing extractions, helping senior registrars manage accident victims, Ludwig’s angina, facial space infections. Also includes preparing patients for surgery, processing results, sending consults, administering IV meds, and handling A&E calls and dressings.
Positives: Consultants (2) and senior registrars (5) are approachable and supportive. Huge learning opportunities if you show up consistently.
Restorative Dentistry:
Workload varies – very busy on consultant clinic days, relaxed otherwise.
Before treating patients, HOs must buy their own handpiece and practice root canal treatment on an Endo block, supervised, until certified safe.
Prosthodontics: inserting dentures and giving post-insertion instructions is expected.
Child Dental Health:
Ortho clinic days are the busiest. HOs change arch wires, place elastics, and modules. Advanced procedures are reserved for registrars.
Paedo clinics are busier during school breaks. HOs can perform a wide range of procedures.
Tip: Show willingness and you’ll be given more responsibilities by registrars.
Preventive Dentistry:
Lightest workload – often called the “rest station.”
Students perform most procedures to meet requirements.
HOs use this posting to catch up on personal tasks and clearances.
Accommodation
Allocation: First come, first serve. No special allocation for dental HOs.
Cost: ₦3,500/month or ₦42,000/year (if paid once).
Condition: Old facilities, not very modern, but practical. Walking distance to the Dental Centre, which is a big plus.
Salary & Allowances
Monthly Pay: ₦267,000 (standard MDCN scale).
Flex & Lifestyle
Location Advantage: Close to the school, meaning plenty of spots around for hangouts and relaxation.
Advice: Be financially prudent—Port Harcourt can be expensive, and it’s easy to overspend.
Food Options
House Officer Entitlement:
2 meals per day on weekdays.
3 meals per day on weekends.
Applies to all postings, regardless of rotation.
Key Takeaway
UPTH is a top choice for dental housemanship in Nigeria.
Expect a heavy workload in Oral Surgery, but also the highest learning opportunities.
Accommodation is basic but affordable and very close to the Dental Centre.
Salary is standard, with free meals as an added benefit.
If you come with an open mind, readiness to work, and willingness to learn, you’ll leave UPTH as one of the most well-rounded dentists from housemanship.
By Dr. Henry ( HO at UPTH)