Dental therapy program aims to bring care closer to northern communities

“We prefer not to have to fill them. We prefer not to have to extract the teeth,” Yim said.

Students gain experience through a four-week practicum in their second year. Along with clinical work, they visit schools and community groups to deliver presentations on prevention.

Preventing cavities and gum disease can reduce demand for treatment in communities where dental services are scarce. Students also complete a four-week practicum in their second year, including presentations at schools and community groups.

Yim said feedback from supervisors has been positive, although the program still needs formal research to measure its effect on access to care.

Conversations with graduates suggest they are working in a mix of rural and urban settings across Saskatchewan.

“A lot of them have gone back to where they live and work in those areas,” he said. “We think it’s making an impact. We’re hoping it does.”

Residents can receive care through the supervised student clinics, including the USask Prince Albert Campus Dental Clinic and the clinic at Northlands College in La Ronge.

Services include examinations, checkups, simple fillings, straightforward extractions and preventive cleanings. Patients requiring more complex treatment are referred to other dental professionals.

“I don’t think they understand how much they can get done in dental therapy clinics, the student clinics,” Yim said.

Patients can call the clinics directly to book an appointment.

Yim said the program’s main concern is improving access in remote communities, where dental workforce shortages mirror broader challenges in recruiting health professionals.

“If we can just train enough of them and then get them back out in the communities, I think it would make a real impact on people’s lives in those communities.”

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

by paNOW Staff

Dental therapy program aims to bring care closer to northern communities

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