Orthodontic grad program celebrates 50 years

50

years of orthodontic graduate program

years of orthodontic graduate program

It was 50 years ago that out of a growing need and interest in children’s dentistry, the graduate program in orthodontics at the School of Dentistry began to take shape.

While orthodontics had been taught at the university since the early beginnings of the dentistry program, it officially first became a part of the undergraduate dentistry curriculum in 1926 and was taught by none other than dentistry legend and Alberta’s first orthodontist, Harry Bulyea.

Bulyea appointed orthodontist Rowland Haryett as head of the department of orthodontics in 1958. Under Haryett, orthodontic education at the university would achieve great heights. He introduced progressive changes in the curriculum and organized continuing education courses in orthodontics. And, once he had set a solid foundation, Haryett introduced the Orthodontic Graduate Program in 1969. “Our national board specialty examination success rate has been 93 percent over the last 20 years,” says Carlos Flores-Mir, adding that without passing the exam, our graduate students are unable to practice in Canada. All those that were unsuccessful in their first try were successful the second time. “We have built a highly competitive program that is a fun working and learning environment at the same time. We are proud of our student’s accomplishments and achievements. We are thankful for our patients, and the positive feedback we receive from them shows us our students are focused and skilled. Entire families have come to us for treatment!”

While these humble beginnings helped mold the orthodontic program, today the graduate program is a highly competitive and sought-after program for both patients and graduate students.

“It has been a privilege and an honour to continue the work that the late Rowland Haryett, otherwise known as Bus, left as a legacy,” says chair of the School of Dentistry, Paul Major. orthodontic graduate students have published close to 600 peer-reviewed articles. The last 15 years alone have led to an average of 30 publications per year, mostly due to an increase in the orthodontic faculty members’ number.

Students and staff echo similar sentiments. The strongest aspect of the program is the close-knit friendships and work environment it fosters. For orthodontist Kevin Chen (Ortho ’20), the U of A program was his first choice.

“I was lucky. Orthodontics is quite a competitive program,” he says. “I like that orthodontics is thoughtprovoking. And as much as I like working with my hands, I also enjoy very methodically planning out treatments. It has the mechanical aspects of planning out different tooth movements and seeing the results of your treatment planning unfold over time. I think that’s unique to orthodontics.”

For the past 24 years, Susan Helwig, clinical supervisor and registered dental assistant for the orthodontic graduate program, has seen the program grow leaps and bounds. From two graduate students in the early beginning of her career, Helwig has worked with over 110 orthodontics students.

“Joining the school when this growth was happening was a good fit for me, and my role evolved,” she says. “Working with all our graduate students is the biggest part of what keeps the school environment interesting. When I think about all the people I have worked with, students, instructors and staff, there are so many memories and stories that come to mind. There aren’t too many dull moments and lots of opportunities to grow and learn.”

Helwig says the most significant change she has been involved in with was moving from the old Dent/Pharm building to the Kaye Edmonton Clinic in 2012.

“We continue to look for ways to improve and grow the program, so we stay current with what students need to learn while they are in the program,” says Helwig. “Happy 50th