A half‑century of helping dentistry students polish their skills

This year, the Faculty of Dentistry celebrates its 100th graduating class. Throughout May, we'll be running a series of articles on the faculty's lasting legacy. For more on the centennial, visit daldentistry100.ca.

Edith Billard first started as a patient at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Dentistry 50 years ago. If you’re into crunching numbers, that’s seven deans, three major renovations and more than 2,900 students ago.

“I wouldn’t go anywhere else, because this is where I came and this is where I stayed,” says Ms. Billard, now 90.

The faculty will graduate its 100th class this year, and the convocation will be captured in a larger centennial celebration from May 23 to 26. In total, more than 100 alumni from the class of 1962 through to the class of 2012 have provided care for Ms. Billard.

Building skills, helping patients

Students in the doctor of dental surgery and diploma in dental hygiene program perform the dental treatments at the school’s clinic, which sees more than 12,000 patients each year.

To prepare, students first do simulation exercises, and their first trials with rubber dams or local anaesthesia are performed on a classmate acting as a patient. When the students are ready to treat patients, they start with simple procedures, closely supervised as they move on to more complex ones.

“[Patients] appreciate the students. They enjoy the interaction they have with the students,” says Dr. Blaine Cleghorn, the faculty’s assistant dean of clinics. “I think some people come here because they like contributing to the students’ education. They realize they’re getting some great dentistry done here. The students are supervised by excellent clinicians.”

The faculty has many long-term patients, Dr. Cleghorn adds. Some patients will get dentures made that could last as long as seven years, but they come back a year or two later for a new set to give the students a chance to polish their skills.

Ms. Billard says her interactions with students have always been positive. Other things have changed over the years.

“When I first came to the old [clinic]…if you had 20 dollars, or whatever you had…that’s what they’d charge you,” she says. “They were good people and everything like that, but they never charged. And if you couldn’t afford it, you didn’t pay nothin’. It went up after, but even so, I came, because I like it here.”

Dr. Cleghorn says the faculty is fortunate to have patients like Ms. Billard. He hopes to provide her oral health care for years to come.

“For somebody to come to our faculty for that long indicates loyalty and satisfaction,” he says. “We’re really appreciative of all the kind things she says.”

Looking to the future

As the faculty approaches its centennial anniversary, it’s also in the early stages of a clinic renewal. Dr. Ronald Bannerman, assistant dean of academic affairs, says a review and update of the curriculum is planned to sync with the physical changes. The school wants to improve both the educational experience for students and the treatment experience for patients.

“We…want to make the transition from dental school to private practice more seamless,” Dr. Cleghorn adds. “We’re creating a number of small group practice settings in our new clinic where dental students and dental hygiene students work closely together treating patients like they would in a private office.”

The faculty can count on Ms. Billard to be there when the new clinic opens.

“All those years and I still come back,” she says. “If I can walk, I’ll come.”