DINOSAURS & DENTISTRY What do the two have in common? Paleontologist Aaron LeBlanc tells us
ALUMNI CONNECTIONS Fall/Winter 2018-19
IN THIS ISSUE
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Alumni president messages A trailblazer in the field of dentistry The driving force behind change 1961 grad reflects on the past Hou builds CDE workshop as part of PLLC leadership exchange Dinosaurs & Dentistry Bulyea Cup winner passionate about orthodontic program Comprehensive care at the School of Dentistry Essential services create an impact
ON THE COVER
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DINOSAURS & DENTISTRY Paleontologist Aaron LeBlanc shares the similarities between human teeth and dinosaur teeth
Photo: This Tyrannosaurid tooth replacement is a cut through the jaw of a cousin of T. rex. Here you can see the biggest tooth in cross-section being replaced by a new tooth (in the middle), and even a third tooth forming (the boomerang-shape at the top of the image) behind that one. A lot of teeth coming in at once even in the meat eating dinosaurs!
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ALUMNI PRESIDENT MESSAGES 4
Many events planned for upcoming year Fall is here! And with the change in seasons comes an opportunity for our alumni to engage in our continually changing profession. Every year the Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter hosts various events for dental hygiene alumni and students. We are a group of volunteers that work to bring our Rebecca Lee community of Dental Hygienists DH Alumni President together. This year, the DH ‘12 Chapter will be holding our Reunion Reception during Alumni Weekend on September 22, 2018. This event is a great way for our alumni to come together and celebrate milestone graduation years. Whether it be 5, 10 or 55 years (yes, 55!), I encourage our alumni to stay connected through events such as this. Additionally, we host an annual event at the Pacific Dental Conference with the Dental Alumni Association in Vancouver. Together we have seen our profession change throughout the years and events such as the Reunion Reception and the one held at the Pacific Dental Conference allow us to not only keep in touch and reflect on our experiences, but also move forward as a group. Often we find ourselves working independently – the focus being on you, your scaler and your patient; and so, I challenge our alumni this coming year to break out of our routines and come together to celebrate how far our profession has come and where it will continue to grow. The Dental Hygiene Alumni Chapter also holds events for the University of Alberta Dental Hygiene students such as the Black & White Affair, which is held this year on November 23, 2018. This event gives the students a break from their studies to dress up, relax, and enjoy their time as a student. While their time in school can seem daunting and endless at the moment, as alumni, we know just how quickly that time really goes. The Black & White Affair is a great way for students to create memories together and celebrate this incredible profession that they will be embarking on. I am excited and looking forward to this new season, new opportunities, and to all the new challenges that our profession has to bring!
Time to pass on the touch
Welcoming the new DDS president
I have a lot to write about but I’ll keep it short. First, I want to let you know that I have sold my practice and for the most part, I am moving into retirement. My family is expanding with the addition of grandchildren and I really want to spend Bill Sharun more quality time with DDS Alumni President DDS ‘74 them. Who knew that this time would come, but it has, and I’m extremely fortunate to be at a place in my life where I can do this.
Mintoo Basahti (DDS ‘88) was born in India and immigrated to Canada with his parents at the age of 4. His father earned his Education degree at the University of Alberta and the family settled in small town Alberta. His desire to be involved and volunteer came from watching his father give back to both his community and his profession.
What this also means is that I will be stepping down as president of the Dental Alumni Association. It is time to pass the torch. It has been a wonderful journey and I am very grateful to the School of Dentistry to have received all the necessary skills, education and tools I needed to live a good life. The School provides a benchmark for exceptional education and when alumni give back it shows gratitude. I hope those of you who have benefited from a good education can think about building a sustainable future for others. Let’s pay it forward together! Thank you for allowing me to serve as president for the last 10+ years, it truly has been an honour! I am so very honoured to announce Dr. Mintoo Basahti as your new DAA president! In addition to Mintoo agreeing to take this position he was unanimously voted in by our existing DAA members. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Mintoo Basahti in his new role. And last but not least, I would like to personally thank the preceding board members for their dedication over the years as well as the staff for their great assistance. All of the things we do could not have been possible without them.
Mintoo Basahti
DDS Alumni President DDS ‘88
Basahti received his undergraduate degree and his dental degree from the University of Alberta. Having graduated in 1988, he and his classmates have just celebrated 30 years in practice!
Upon graduation, Basahti joined a solo practitioner in Westlock and has been there ever since. Currently he is in a group practice with two other dentists. In his first years out of dental school he worked part-time at the U of A hospital emergency dental clinic, was a part time clinical instructor at the School of Dentistry and also did a rotation as a supervising dentist at the student clinics in High Level and La Crete. Professionally, Basahti has been involved in organized dentistry locally, provincially and nationally for many years. Locally, he served on the Executive of the Edmonton and District Dental Society for a number of years and was President in 2012/13. Provincially, he has been on the Council of the Alberta Dental Association & College for five years and just recently completed a term as President. Currently he sits on the Executive Committee as Past President and is also Chair of the Continuing Competency Committee. Nationally, he sits on the Canadian Dental Association working group on dental benefits and the National Dental Examining Board. Personally, over the years, he has been involved with many organizations at various levels. Basahti’s son and daughter are 20 and 17 and both are enrolled at the University of Alberta. So the family ties to the the U of A have entered the third generation.
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2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
A trailblazer in the field of dentistry Marcia Boyd’s (’69 DDS) dental career began in the Eastern Arctic with a dog sled using portable equipment to treat the Inuit people in their communities. From the Arctic she moved to Vancouver and continued in public health doing treatment and preventive work in the elementary schools. This led her on a journey of organized dentistry to become an internationally reputed dental educator. She is former Dean of the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Dentistry and was the first Canadian woman president of the American College of Dentists. Now working for a national corporation after “retiring” from the University, Boyd was presented with the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award on September 24 by the University of Alberta for being a trailblazer in the field of dentistry. “I feel very honoured to be nominated by my colleagues. It doesn’t get any better than being recognized by your peers and joining the ranks of other distinguished alumni,” says Boyd. “In the early days I was one of very few women that participated in organized dentistry. I felt like I was representing my gender. I enjoyed a variety in my career which not many dentists experience. Opportunities came my way and I took them. I was very fortunate.” As for Boyd’s transition into teaching and administration, it came quite naturally. Her husband Dr. Ian Bennett was the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie and her mother and sister were both teachers as well.
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“Everybody needs to try to make a difference. Giving back makes your professional life rich,” says Boyd, adding she stopped practising just a few years ago. “I had a remarkable single mom who always believed in me, a sister that was inspiring and my husband took great joy in my accomplishments. I was very blessed to have a strong family.” In 2015, Boyd received Canada’s highest honour - she was inducted into the Order of Canada. Boyd’s contributions and dedication to the profession of dentistry have led her to receive honourary membership in both the Canadian and American Dental Associations, and she received the inaugural award for leadership from the Gies Foundation of the American Dental Education Association. Her awards do not end here. She has received the Callahan Memorial Medial from the Ohio Dental Association and the Canadian Dental Association’s highest award, the Medal of Honour. She’s an honourary member of the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, the BC Dental Association and the Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and has received no less than four honorary doctorates. “It was the variety that afforded me the opportunities that were so special,” says Boyd. “Dentistry provided me with the foundational studies to launch such a meaningful career. I am grateful for the quality of the education I received from my professors at the university. I could not have wished for better!”
Photos by John Ulan
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Photo by Ryan Whitefield
2018 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
The driving force behind change Brenda Walker (’71 DH) changed the face of dental hygiene across Alberta. She was a major driving force behind making dental hygiene a self-regulating profession. She lobbied the government to remove the requirement for dental hygienists to be supervised by a dentist. In 2006, this change occurred, and hygienists could now practice in a variety of settings including long-term care facilities and establishing stand-alone dental hygiene practices – improving access to oral health care to vulnerable and underserved populations. While a major driving force behind changing the fate of dental hygiene in Alberta and as the first registrar of the College of Registered Dental Hygienists of Alberta (CRDHA), Walker is quick to mention she didn’t do it alone. “I had many role models. Margaret Berry MacLean, Marilyn Mabey, and Joanne Clovis encouraged me as a new graduate to be involved in the profession,” she says. “When I was a student at the university, the faculty in the dental hygiene program were such amazing mentors. They were the ones that pulled me into the dental hygiene association and college. They instilled that desire in me to be a part of your profession and to make a difference.” The impact and presence Walker created in dental hygiene can’t go unrecognized. On September 24, Walker received the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Honour Award from the University of Alberta. “It’s never one person that accomplishes things alone,” says Walker. “I’ve had an impactful journey. I have great appreciation for all the members that worked so hard to help make these things happen. Their dedication and trust that we were doing the right thing was very
important.” Walker taught in the dental hygiene program at the university for 16 years as a sessional clinical instructor. For Walker something else that was a long-time coming was the change from the two-year diploma program to the degree. She helped lobby the University of Alberta to implement a dental hygiene degree completion program in 2000 giving students the option of either completing a diploma or degree. With many students choosing to complete the degree option, Walker and the CRDHA continued to encourage removal of the diploma program and in 2017, the university welcomed its first cohort of degree-only students. “I’m very happy to have the CRDHA lend its support to the dental hygiene program,” says Walker. “It was an honour for the college to support both the dental hygiene bachelor and master degree programs and be in a position to establish student awards and scholarships at the university.” Along with many other firsts, Walker helped establish the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board, which administers the critical exam required to register as a dental hygienist. But all of these trailblazing advancements in dental hygiene could have ended differently had Walker not met a dentist in her hometown of Brooks. “I was in Grade 10 at the time and I would babysit his children. He asked me what I planned to do after high school and I said I was planning on applying to education,” she says. “He asked me if I had ever considered dental hygiene and I told him I had never heard of hygienists.”
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1961 grad reflects on the past Dr. Glenn van As’s father, Dr. A.W.H van As, was a 1961 U of A dental grad. Glenn was kind enough to comment and to take forward some questions to ask his father on behalf of the school and here’s what he had to say. Dad worked for 44 years in dentistry retiring in 2005 at the age of 77. He is 90 years young. He never learned to work with a highspeed hand piece in dental school, so in the early days he used an air turbine drill, and for dental materials, amalgam or gold were your main options. He was booked for 6 months within weeks of graduating, and worked primarily for many years out of one room. There were no gloves, no masks, and mixing amalgam consisted of squeezing out the excess mercury in a squeeze cloth. Caries was rampant (no fluoride in toothpastes) and the local anesthetic were not very potent. No bonding materials were present, silicates that changed color very quickly from off white to yellow were the only white materials early on. Porcelain crowns were very opaque and gold was the material of choice, at times used for front teeth that were chipped. Patients were different, they paid cash, there was no insurance plans, and they were very appreciative of anything you could do. My dad was always learning new skills, he loved the profession and was a true gentleman to staff and patients alike. He always laughed in the office and showed me that patients do not care what you know but rather they want to know how much you care. This is something that even to this day is a lasting memory for me. The 18 years we spent working together in our joint practice was a simpler, calmer time and one that shaped the way I practice myself. Dad left the office on his last day in July of 2005 and he told me at that time that he had two regrets, 1) he wished he came to Canada from Holland earlier because it offered him so much, and 2) he wished he became a dentist before the age of 33 because it would have allowed him to practice longer. Because although he was still able and willing to practice, his eyes were going and therefore he felt that this would impact his ability to be a good dentist so he made the very difficult decision to retire. He was a great mentor for not just technical aspects, but for how to be a professional. What memories come to mind when going to dental school? When dad got into dental school the first day the dean at that time was an Oral surgeon and showed some old 16 mm videos of surgeries that he had performed, and dad had to leave because he felt nauseous. He told my mom that he would never be a dentist because he could not stand the blood. That same night, my mom and dad
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went to a special lecture from the oral surgeon (dean), and mom was the first to leave with dad following shortly after…despite this, he still became a dentist. He recalled that there was only one girl in his class— Doreen. Doreen got married to a classmate at lunch time. In fact, there was only one female in the whole dental school when he was there. Dad came from Holland and didn’t speak great English so he had to translate the medical terminology from English to Dutch and then back to English to understand the words, especially for anatomy. Every night he was up until 1 am studying. It was extremely hard for him to pass, but he prevailed. Back in those days, you had to always wear white— white shoes, white pants, and white shirts. Dad also remembered that he was the oldest in the class as he started graduating late at the age of 33. What part of being a dentist did you enjoy? One of the things my dad enjoyed the most was the closeness with patients, he had the time to talk to the patients and get to know them. His other team members in the practice were like family to him. I personally witnessed this as I worked in dad’s practice for 18 years from 1987 to 2005 and in fact, I still see patients who first saw my father in the early 1960s. He also liked the artistic side of dentistry by making the amalgams look like teeth. How has dentistry changed over the years? Dentistry has changed a lot with all the new equipment and materials, and the pressure on the dentists with the high demands of patients. Dentists need to know so many different skills now instead of just silver fillings, extractions and dentures. He also said that there is so much competition, and so much advertising which wasn’t around when he started. What other career path would you have taken if you weren’t a dentist? Soccer player - He played for the top league in Holland in the early 1950s. Medical doctor was something his father had said he might be good at, but he always wanted to be a dentist after his soccer days ended. I know dad never wanted to be a teacher because he mentioned in three years of teaching that there were 3 good days, and these were the last day of each year before summer holidays!
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Hou builds CDE workshop as Peter Lougheed leadership 12
s part of experience
Second-year dentistry student Tasha Hou is not one to back down from a challenge. In fact, being challenged is the only way she prefers it. That’s why alongside the rigors and demands of dental school, Hou is completing her Certificate in Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies at the Peter Lougheed Leadership College (PLLC). “We can only grow when we challenge ourselves,” says Hou. “Leadership is a good trait for everyone to have. The reason I applied to the college was to build my leadership skills and step out of my comfort zone. So far, it’s been a great experience for me to learn more about the world around me and network with people outside of dentistry.” The certificate is a two-year program designed to be completed in conjunction with an undergraduate degree. As a part of the program, students are expected to complete a total of 12 course credits, a number of short workshops, a summer Stretch Experience and a final capstone project. A major component of the PLLC certificate is to push your boundaries and stretch your experience says Hou. Therefore, the “Stretch Experience” – an intensive 200hour student-designed project that puts their leadership skills in to practice – is next to none. For her Stretch Experience, Hou is leading and organizing the Women in Dentistry and Mentorship Conference and Workshop being held on October 27. The project will create an opportunity for dental students to directly network with female mentors in the field, and for dentists to mentor students. The continuing education course is open to all dental students and dentists. “It is important for us to have these kind of groups in order to discuss how to navigate through our careers as women,” says Hou. Hou’s ultimate goal of this workshop would be to have it serve as a launching platform to build a mentorship program. She says she’s thankful for mentors like dentistry professor Steven Patterson for helping her throughout the project. “After listening to the panel of speakers, I want the student to have a more diverse understanding of the different areas in dentistry,” says Hou, adding other topics of discussion would include owning a practice, other career paths available in dentistry and hopefully expanding everyone’s network circle. “By putting myself out there I have built a lot of confidence. I want to be a role model and be a good example for anyone who wants to achieve a dream and do what they’ve always wanted to.” Hou’s workshop is being funded by the Edmonton Community Young Edmonton Grant.
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Dinosaurs & dentistry Dinosaurs don’t go to the dentist, mostly because they’re extinct. But did they develop gum disease or cavities? It could be possible says UAlberta paleontologist Aaron LeBlanc who specializes in studying the tooth development and dental tissues of these extraordinary creatures that once roamed freely. Dinosaurs and dentistry have one thing in common — teeth. And their teeth are a lot more similar to human teeth than you may think. Despite their massive size, and the inevitable fact that dinosaurs are extinct, dinosaur tooth formation and growth tie them in to modern dentistry quite nicely. “The tissues that make up dinosaur teeth are the exact same as our teeth,” says LeBlanc. “They have the same building blocks as human teeth. We say dinosaurs are primitive and extinct, but their teeth are built fundamentally the same as ours.” LeBlanc says his research has just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to studying dinosaur teeth. Traditionally, paleontologists have spent centuries studying fossils, but cutting open the teeth and examining the tissues is bit of a lost art. Another similarity between human and dinosaur teeth is in how the teeth are anchored to the jaw bone says LeBlanc. “Our teeth are suspended in the tooth socket with a ligament which allows for movement. This cushions the blows to the teeth as we chew on our food. Dinosaurs had a similar ligament like humans,” says LeBlanc, adding the only other animals alive today that have this ligament are alligators and crocodiles. “This makes dinosaurs more relatable to alligators and crocodiles than any other animal. Crocs and dinosaurs have clearly inherited this from a common ancestor millions and millions of years ago, we just don’t know why.”
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LeBlanc says that this ligament is also the reason braces work in humans. So maybe braces would have worked on dinosaurs too. “I’m still looking for cavities in dinosaurs,” he jokes. “They have to be out there. I’ve also seen some weird sickly-looking samples of their teeth so gum disease and other disorders are quite possible.” The most interesting aspect of dinosaur teeth is the rate at which they would lose and grow new teeth. “Dinosaurs didn’t have just one set of adult teeth. In the fastest cases, every month or two their teeth would fall out and new ones would grow in,” he says. “They were tooth factories and went through them like nobody’s business.” LeBlanc’s favourite dinosaur is the duckbill or hadrosaur dinosaur – a dinosaur that had more than 300 teeth jammed together in each side of the jaw to make one grinding surface. “It’s fascinating to see how dinosaurs adapted their teeth to deal with different diets. The enamel in dinosaurs changes depending on the diet. The duckbill’s enamel is more durable, whereas the enamel on a Tyrannosaurus rex tooth is paper thin,” he says, adding the enamel on the T.Rex is only one-fifth as thick as the enamel of human tooth. By dissecting dinosaur teeth, LeBlanc says it’s helped paleontologists identify when certain dental diseases showed up like ankyloses, where the teeth are fused to the jaw. “The funny thing is we use the term dinosaur for something primitive, but dinosaurs were a specialized group of animals, and that’s best reflected in their teeth,” he says.
This is a closeup of the cutting edge of a tyrannosaur tooth under the microscope, using a special microscope filter that highlights the hard outer enamel (the brighter coloured caps on those two bumps).
This hadrosaur dental battery is a cut through part of the jaw of one of the duck-billed dinosaurs. Each of those little pentagonal or circular shapes is a single tooth on this microscope slide. These are the dinosaurs that can pack upwards of 300 teeth into each side of jaw.
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Bulyea Cup winner passionate about orthodontic program The School of Dentistry is honoured to announce Terry Carlyle (DDS ‘73) as the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Bulyea Cup award. After graduating from the University of Alberta DDS program in 1973, Terry proceeded to open a general dentistry practice in Grande Prairie, Alberta with classmates Drs. Keith Compton and Shannon Doyle. After practicing for two years, he made the decision to continue on to pursue his Orthodontic education from the University of Manitoba, and in December 1977 he received his Masters of Science degree in Oral Biology with a specialization in Orthodontics. Over the years, Carlyle has contributed to the School of Dentistry in teaching roles such two years as an associate professor of orthodontics, later as a part time clinical lecturer in both the undergraduate and graduate orthodontic programs, and more recently, over the past 12 years or so, as a clinical professor. He teaches one day per month in the graduate orthodontic program with emphasis on contemporary passive self-ligation braces, clear aligners (Invisalign) and CBCT imaging. All throughout his years of service to the school, Carlyle has been instrumental in helping shape and grow the orthodontic graduate program to what it is today. Carlyle served on the Alberta Society of Orthodontists executive, participated on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO) and was the President of the CAO in 1992. He participated on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists for
7 years. Carlyle also served as an elected council member for Alberta Dental Association and College from 2002-2005 and then was an executive committee member from 2012-2015. Carlyle and his team at Strathcona Orthodontics also participated in many clinical orthodontic studies with the graduate students from both the University of Alberta and University of Manitoba. Carlyle’s passion for continuous learning and improvement has led him to be part of both the Ormco Damon Teachers group, and later with Henry Schein (HS) Orthodontics Inner Circle. The HS Orthodontics group created a unique educational program to educate orthodontic specialists about expanding their scope of knowledge and patient care to include adult airway management for snoring, obstructive sleep apnea and the like. He was also a user and consultant to Aquarium Program for Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions as part of a team that would discuss topics and comment on contents and visualization of the various movies. These patient educational movies proved to be a great adjunct to their day-to-day education for patient diagnosis and treatment. In addition to his contributions and involvement in the community (Riverbend Community Soccer, Hockey and Scouts), his five years on the board of the Edmonton Scottish Society and his teaching roles at the school, he has been a practicing orthodontist at Strathcona Orthodontics for 40 years.
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Comprehensive Care at the School of Dentistry The School of Dentistry is looking to hire two more Comprehensive Care (CC) directors to complete our CC team model. The school has reorganized its CC model to meet the goals of enhancing the patient experience through the continuity of care and enhancing the student learning experience by preparing them for practice. At the School of Dentistry, CC is delivered using a team approach. There are four teams. Each team has a CC Director, DDS Lead, DH Lead, Treatment Coordinator, Scheduling Clerk, and a RDA. Disciplines such as perio, endo and restorative, serve as consultants for all four teams putting the control back into the hands of the Comprehensive Care leaders to oversee the management of a patient. Each team will be assigned a group of undergraduate students (DDS & DH) who will stay in the same team for the duration of their learning program. The same will happen with patients—they will be assigned to a team and will remain in that team, which will ensure the continuity of patient care is being maintained. With the addition of treatment coordinators, students no longer book their own patients.
The practice of dentistry is more than the development and implementation of clinical skills and the CC model has been developed to ensure our dental graduates are prepared for their professional responsibilities including ethical care, respectful communication, honesty, upholding patient autonomy, compassion for others and a commitment to lifelong learning. “The CC team and the model in which they work in provide our students with a positive and enhanced learning experience,” says Paul Major, Chair of the School of Dentistry. “They have been instrumental in flipping our clinical environment to be an interactive network rich in opportunities for learners to transfer theory to practice, which is essential to professional competence.
This dedicated group of experienced dental practitioners has a passion for teaching and a desire to share their knowledge and skills with future clinicians. They strive for excellence and show respect for students, colleagues and patients. The DDS/DH leads are positive role models who promote compassion, ethical choices and professionalism.
CC Directors have an important leadership role in the undergraduate clinical program. Within their team they are responsible for: • Overseeing the overall functioning, efficiency and productivity. • Ensuring patients receive a high standard of comprehensive dental care. • Ensuring students learn in a supportive and positive clinical environment. • Monitoring the clinical progression and assessment of DDS students. • Ensuring DDS students receive a range of clinical experiences throughout the program. • Preparing DDS students for the transition into practice after graduation.
The DDS/DH leads are a cohesive team of mentors that promote a safe and positive learning environment for the students. They
For more information on this recruitment opportunity visit: https://www.careers.ualberta.ca/ Competition/A104536705D1/
The DDS/DH leads within a CC team are dedicated dental professionals that evaluate, mentor, and assist, the students with their clinical education while providing quality patient care.
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closely monitor student progress and identify student strengths and weaknesses. They provide ongoing formative assessments and arrange for early remediation when required. The CC Leaders are very supportive and encouraging. They celebrate student successes and advocate for them when required.
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Essential services create an impact BOYLE MCCAULEY HEALTH CENTRE DENTAL CLINIC “The services at the Boyle McCauley Health Centre (BMHC) Dental Clinic gave me my smile back!”
Part of the services the school provides at the BMHC Dental Clinic includes oral cancer screenings.
Sheri Ball received much-needed dental care at the BMHC, without it, she said she probably wouldn’t have a job.
Seema Ganatra, oral pathologist at the School of Dentistry, and her team, started oral cancer screenings in 2015 as part of a research project initiated by Parvaneh Badri, a PhD student. The project “Oral health needs assessment in underprivileged communities of Edmonton” was developed and is ongoing.
As a single mother of two children she could not afford dental care so she kept putting off getting her teeth fixed. Meanwhile, she spiraled into depression because she was not eating properly, missed work and hated the way she looked. “As a server I need to be presentable, and be able to smile and talk to people,” said Ball. “But my teeth were so badly eroded, I felt ashamed and embarrassed to smile.” Comprehensive dental care had given her the confidence to apply for work. The students and faculty at the School of Dentistry provide essential services for those in need and Ball is just one of the many patients’ they’ve helped. Trudy Aucoin, division head Integrated Patient Care at the School of Dentistry volunteers her time one day a week treating people in need of care. “I’ve learned not to judge people and respect the challenges they face,” she says. “The people that come to the clinic have different challenges, and so we need to show them respect and provide them with the services they need.” Working at the BMHC Dental Clinic is not a glamorous affair. The clinic today is in cramped quarters, has no natural light as it’s located in the basement, and the work days are unpredictable. It can sometimes be a little intimidating and overwhelming, but the health care providers (dental students, dental hygiene students, faculty and private practice practitioners) are there because they care. “It’s been an amazing experience that has certainly changed my life,” says Aucoin. “It’s made me understand how much need exists in our community and how we all need to work together to improve access to care.”
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Ganatra was inspired by her mentor during her graduate studies in Indiana and volunteered to do oral cancer screening through the Little Red Door Cancer Agency. “I always wanted to do this here, in Edmonton” she said. “I treated vulnerable populations while in hospital residency and it was always in the back of my mind - how can I make a difference?” She sadly remembers a case not that long ago when a patient came to BMHC with an advanced cancer of the tongue. He thought his partial denture was irritating the tongue and sought help only after experiencing pain and limitation of tongue movement. “I knew deep down that it wasn’t good,” she said. “The patient was only in his early fifties and it was difficult to break the bad news. The impact is devastating if oral health issues are left too late and preventable if found early so we must continue to do these examinations.” The team includes Badri, dentist John Valentine, Silvia Ortiz, Medha Singh and staff at BMHC dental clinic. They work together once a month doing oral cancer examinations, and dental and periodontal screening. In addition to the oral health work they do, this group has been inspired to give donations of toiletries and clothing to the Centre for the most vulnerable patients. To help increase the essential services the School provides at the BMHC Dental Clinic, it is undertaking a fundraising initiative to expand the clinic and relocate it in the Metis Capital Housing Corporation Renaissance Tower, which is only a few blocks away from its existing location. To learn more about this, visit the School of Dentistry’s website.
“As a server I need to be presentable, and be able to smile and talk to people. But my teeth were so badly eroded, I felt ashamed and embarrassed to smile.� -Sheri Ball
BMHC Dental Clinic Patient
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Mohamed Omar, Amirsalar Mofidi, Sandeep Dab and Dongdong Fang are students in the Periodontology Graduate Program.
Do you have a patient with complex perio needs? The School of Dentistry’s Periodontology Graduate Program specializes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of periodontal disease, treatment of oral inflammation and in the placement of dental implants. We are now accepting new patients and referrals. Should you need to refer an existing patient to our program for their periodontal needs, please call (780) 407-5528 or complete a clinic referral form or directly submit an online application available on our website https://bit.ly/2p69RY9. Residents in the program learn how to treat advanced periodontal disease alongside and in collaboration with a specialist as well as shadow complex cases of periodontal surgeries, bone grafting, implant placement, treating peri-implant diseases and more.
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ualberta.ca/school-of-dentistry
U of A Dental students lead Movember with goal of raising $10,000 for prostate cancer Dental students together with pharmacy and medical students are looking to raise $10,000 towards finding a cure for prostate cancer. The students are putting together a 15-month calendar for 2019 that includes seasonal photos with their fellow classmates sporting their Movember moustaches. They will sell the calendar starting mid-October and throughout the month of November as well as host a series of events to help raise awareness. Would you be interested in helping the students achieve their goal of raising $10,000 or more? If so, email fourth-year dental student Shahed at bayesteh@ualberta.ca.
If you have a patient in need of a new set of complete dentures consider referring them to the School of Dentistry. Our students are in need of denture cases. The School of Dentistry is looking for patients who need complete dentures - upper and/or lower. • Are your dentures loose? • Is food getting under dentures? • Do you experience discomfort with your dentures? • Are you unhappy with the look of your dentures? • Do your denture teeth feel dull and worn? Contact the School of Dentistry, Oral Health Clinic for help with your denture needs (780) 407-5550.
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