BC
September 20, 2012 | British Columbia
Free dental services provided to low-income residents give students real world experience and teach the importance of giving back to the community
Burnaby, BC – September 20, 2012 – CDI College, in coordination with the UBC Faculty of Dentistry and the Salvation Army, hosted Open Wide Community Clinic Day on September 15, 2012. Dental Assisting students and faculty volunteers from CDI College’s Burnaby campus worked alongside dentists from UBC to provide a day of free oral healthcare for clients of the Salvation Army. The day was filled with back-to-back appointments including both individual clients and families with young children.
Students gained hands-on experience with basic pain relief procedures, restorative dentistry, X-rays, and general dental hygiene. They were able to interact directly with dentists and work on real patients, an important experience for the students, many of whom who will be graduating soon and starting their careers in the dentistry field.
“CDI College is always looking for ways to give back to the community and UBC’s Open Wide Community Clinic Day is such a great initiative to be involved with,” said Agnes Yngson, Dental Department Head at CDI College.
Students were also given a first-hand look at what it means to give back to the community by utilizing their education and skills. Clients who received dental services were from communities throughout the Lower Mainland including Burnaby, Vancouver, Surrey and Coquitlam.
The Dental Assisting program at CDI College is the only private dental assisting program in BC that is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC). The program provides both comprehensive and intensive education and training leading towards a career as a Dental Assistant. Students are exposed to activities that utilize the advances in the practice of dentistry.
Graduates of this program are eligible to become candidates for the National Dental Assisting Examination Board (NDAEB) exam, which is a mandatory component for licensure and registration with the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia. Historically, graduates of the CDI Dental Assisting program have received between 97%-100% passing rate on the NDAEB exam since its implementation in 2007.
For more information on Open Wide Community Clinic Day or the Dental Assisting program at CDI College, fill out the form to your right. Updates of the event can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.