In the first year of dental hygiene, each student participates in a one day rotation on a Mobile Dental Van. During this rotation, the student observes a dentist and a dental assistant who provide dental care to those individuals who cannot physically have access to this care. The Mobile Dental Van team makes visits to personal homes, long term care facilities, etc. Dental care provided includes, tooth restorations, extractions, and dental hygiene cleaning.
In second year dental hygiene, students gain additional experience in providing community oral health care at a variety of locations:
Deer Lodge is a long term care facility for the elderly. Responsibilities of a student on this rotation include oral screening and providing the necessary dental hygiene care to the facility residents. Students also have the opportunity to work independently under the supervision of a dentist and a registered dental hygienist when providing this care. This gives students first hand experience on how a private dental clinic operates.
Miseracordia Hospital is another long term care home that students visit to perform oral screenings and label dentures for the residents.
Health Action Center is a dental clinic that provides dental care to families of low socio-economic backgrounds. Here, students have the opportunity to provide dental hygiene care to more challenging clients. The client cases are considered more demanding due to infrequent dental visits, language barriers, etc.
Children’s Hospital is a rotation where the student observes oral surgery on children under the age of three who cannot be seen in private practice due to rampant caries.
St. Amant Center is a long term care facility for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. Students on this rotation perform dental screenings, provide oral care to the residents, and education to caregivers.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WHRA) provides a functional dental clinic housed in an elementary school. In pairs, the students provide dental hygiene care to individuals up to the age of 18.
Students are required to visit at least one specialty practice. Choices include clinics or offices dealing in Orthodontics, Prosthodontics, Pediactry Densitry, Malodour treament. The choice is based on personal interest.
In 2005 the University of Manitoba second year dental hygiene class received an award for their outstanding performance in working with two inner city soup kitchens.
Presented by the CDHA during their third annual community outreach project, “Soup Up Your Smile”, the dental hygiene program hopes that this is one event that can continue for many years in the future.
780 Bannatyne Avenue
Winnipeg, MB
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