Decolonizing Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Training in Nigeria: Reconceptualizing Curriculum Through an African-Centered Educational Theory

Postgraduate oral and maxillofacial surgical training in Nigeria has historically been structured around curricula derived from European and North American educational frameworks, with limited adaptation to the specific disease burden, resource context, cultural dynamics, and health systems challenges of the Nigerian environment. This theoretical and empirical PhD study applies an African-centered educational theory framework to critically interrogate the epistemological assumptions, content gaps, and pedagogical methods of current Nigerian oral and maxillofacial surgical training, and proposes a decolonized curriculum model. Drawing on decolonization theory, critical pedagogy, and competency-based medical education principles, the study employs document analysis of current training curricula from the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, focus group discussions with 58 resident doctors from all six geopolitical zones, semi-structured interviews with 24 consultant trainers and international surgical education experts, and a curriculum mapping exercise against the Nigerian maxillofacial surgical burden profile. Findings reveal significant misalignment between training content and local disease priorities, including inadequate preparation for noma reconstruction, high-volume odontogenic infection management, and trauma care in resource-constrained settings. Western-centric assessment frameworks and English-only training environments disadvantage residents from northern geopolitical zones. The proposed Nigerian Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Curriculum Framework integrates local case complexity, indigenous knowledge acknowledgment, geopolitically adapted competency benchmarks, and simulation-based skill acquisition. The study makes an original theoretical contribution to global surgical education decolonization discourse. Keywords: surgical training, decolonization, curriculum, oral surgery, Nigeria.