Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and School of Dental Hygiene students travelled north to experience what providing oral-health care in Northern Manitoba communities is like.
Rita Pucci, a fourth-year dentistry student, went to Oxford House for a weeklong rotation in December, 2021.
“It was a great experience,” she said. “It would be beneficial for all students to do a rotation because you learn so much.”
Pucci said she learned several tips for root canals, surgical extractions and how to assess the patient’s needs from her preceptor, alumna Dr. Judy Zetaruk. Because Pucci was seeing patients from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., she said it gave a sense of what it will be like in private practice.
One of the reasons Pucci decided to do the rotation was because she wanted to learn more about Northern Manitoba. She is interested in working for the government and providing care in Northern communities.
The dentistry Northern rotation pilot project was organized by Dr. Trenna Reeve, associate dean (clinical) at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Medicine, and Jim McLeod, dental program manager, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Indigenous Services Canada.
As part of a new partnership between the School of Dental Hygiene and the Keewatin Tribal Council, third-year dental hygiene students Myriamme Chartier and Miranda Hall travelled to York Landing for a weeklong rotation in November, 2021. Chartier and Hall’s preceptor was Alyson Candline, a registered dental hygienist from the Children’s Oral Health Initiative (COHI).
“The Northern rotation experience was incredible,” Chartier said. “I absolutely enjoyed every part of it.”
The pair of students provided dental hygiene screenings, oral health education, temporary fillings and fluoride varnishes for children in the community.
“It was a really eye-opening experience,” Hall said. “For me it was to see the lack of access to dental care. In Winnipeg, we’re so privileged to have so many dental offices and easy access to care. In York Landing, they sometimes don’t even have a dentist in the community.”
Hall said that she decided to take part in the rotation because she’s always looking for new opportunities and the chance to develop her skills.
“It was an experience that I probably wouldn’t get after I graduate, so I thought I might as well take it,” Hall said.
Chartier decided to do the Northern rotation because she had previously done outreach work, and she promised herself that she would continue to reach out and help people in need.
“The experience was very fulfilling, and it helped me realize that this is exactly what I’m meant to do,” Chartier said.
The School of Dental Hygiene hopes to expand the student experience to include more COHI programs in other communities.