Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry

School of Dental Hygiene

Dental hygienists are primary health-care providers. They balance the varying needs of patients to develop the right care plan to maintain good oral health. With community-based outreach initiatives strategically woven into our program, the diversity of patients our students treat while training sets them up for a successful and rewarding career.

 

Dental clinics
A dental hygienist student works with a patient.

Externships and rotations

Externships offer senior dental hygiene students the chance to build their hands-on skills while providing care to diverse populations and medically compromised patients. Visits take place in a variety of community dental clinics. Through our clinical rotations dental hygiene students get the chance to observe, ask questions and learn in a variety of practice settings.

    • ACCESS Dental Clinic Downtown
    • ACCESS NorWest Co-op Community Health
    • Deer Lodge Dental Clinic
    • Mount Carmel Dental Clinic
    • Red River Community College - Dental Assisting Program
    • Specialty practice
    • St. Amant Centre
    • Siloam Mission
    • The Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg
    • Winnipeg Regional Health Authority - Oral Health Programs:
      Healthy Smiles Happy Child | Smiles Plus

Projects and clinical expectations

The School of Dental Hygiene is proud of the many community outreach projects that have been done by students in the past. A few examples of the target populations that students have delivered programs to include:

  • cancer care patients
  • low socio-economical families
  • street mission
  • people with diabetes
  • correctional facilities
  • elementary - high schools
  • caregivers
  • the young and the elderly
  • patients with either mental or physical disabilities

By working on these public outreach projects, it gives the students the opportunity to see how the real world works in situations that are not always in an ideal setting.

Clinical Expectations
Under the direct supervision of the dental hygiene clinical and dental faculty, students attain clinical competencies through participation in laboratory and clinical sessions and through experience providing direct patient care services. Students are required to maintain 90 per cent clinic utilization throughout their two year program. Emphasis is placed on the health promotion and disease prevention throughout the program.

Mentorship Program

Through a partnership with the Manitoba Dental Hygienists Association (MDHA), we support the transition of dental hygiene students into the profession through open communication, guidance, and inspiration that benefits both the mentor and mentee.

Two people seen from the back, working at a table in a student lab.

How it works: Second and third-year dental hygiene students will be assigned an MDHA mentor for the duration of their dental hygiene education. Each student will virtually meet with their mentor twice per term (which totals to four times per academic year).

Connecting with your mentor: Students and mentors maintain open communication through regular contact. You and your mentor will firm up a method of communication and meeting times that work best for the two of you. You and your mentor will also attend MDHA/SDH Mentorship Program events throughout the duration of this two-year program.

The benefit: This program is an opportunity to establishing life-long professional contacts, meant to enrich both you and your mentor.

Community outreach

Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO):
One Health

School of Dental Hygiene faculty and student volunteers participate in CVO events. CVO’s One Health model involves the collaboration between human and animal health partners, based on the understanding that the health of humans and animals and the environment (social and physical) are interconnected.

WISH Clinic

The Winnipeg Interprofessional Student-Run Health Clinic (WISH Clinic) provides free health services to people in the Point Douglas area of Winnipeg out of Mount Carmel Clinic. The clinic is staffed by volunteer students from Rady Faculty.

Smiles for Miles

The Smiles for Miles program helps sponsor dental hygiene care for newcomers to Canada who otherwise not receive it, and provide senior dental hygiene students with the opportunity to provide care free of charge.

Read more on UM Today

Sharing Smiles Day

Sharing Smiles Day is an annual event meant to prepare dentistry and dental hygiene students on providing care for everybody in the community – including those with disabilities, who often face barriers to accessing care.

A group of people posing in front of a banner sign.
A group shot of volunteers in matching shirts.
Close-up of dental exam.
Five people each holding a letter shaped balloon spelling out smile.

Research

The broad range of research interests in the School of Dental Hygiene helps keep our communities healthy. From examining the oral health of seniors and Canadian Indigenous children, to quality assurance in dental hygiene practice, our faculty researchers are committed to making positive contributions that improve the quality of life for all Manitobans.

Key areas of research:

  • Salutogenesis: health creation
  • Healthy learning: learning environment and curriculum
  • Interprofessional education for interprofessional collaboration
  • Social justice and health equity
  • Oral microbiome
  • Quality assurance in dental hygiene practice
  • Oral health of Canadian Indigenous children
  • Oral health of Seniors

College research and scholarly activity

Our researchers:

International exchanges

The University of Manitoba has student exchange agreements with two international dental hygiene programs:

  • Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden
  • Turku Polytechnic in Turku, Finland

Program details: two students in their second year of dental hygiene are offered this opportunity at each place at one time. The students go for a two-week excursion and they may use this opportunity toward one of their dental hygiene project in second year.

Current dental hygiene students interested in this opportunity can email the School of Dental Hygiene for more information.

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Connect with us

Headshot of Mary Bertone, director of the School of Hygiene, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry.

Meet the director

Mary Bertone, director of the School of Dental Hygiene, welcomes you. Within our school, you'll notice community outreach is top-of-mind. Our students and faculty are always looking for new ways to support underserved populations and we would love for you to join us as we work hard to keep our communities healthy!

Contact Us

School of Dental Hygiene
Room D212 - 780 Bannatyne Avenue
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2 Canada

dent_hygiene@umanitoba.ca
204-789-3683
204-789-3948