UWA School of Dentistry students help relieve dental suffering

Nearly 100 homeless people and refugees, some who have had insufferable dental pain for years, received free dental treatment thanks to a team of dentists, dental students from the University of Western Australia, and volunteers from UWA and Tzu Chi Foundation Perth.
The joint initiative between Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation (an international humanitarian organisation that helps those less fortunate) and UWA aims to relieve the suffering of people who normally struggle to gain access to dental treatment. At the same time, UWA dental students were provided with a valuable opportunity to expand their skills.

Dentist Dr Lydia See from the UWA School of Dentistry, who also coordinates the dental volunteering events for Tzu Chi Perth, said the patients were recruited by three main charity organisations: Red Cross, Ruah Community Services and St Bartholomew’s House.
“The dental work was carried out on the weekend at a Dental Fair at UWA’s Oral Health Centre of Western Australia with the provision of treatment for patients given by 33 of our dentists and 65 dental students,” Dr See said.
Dental problems ranged from broken teeth to infections, abscesses, periodontal disease and resulting long-standing severe toothache. Dental students provided chair-side assistance and taught the patients about the importance of oral hygiene.
Dr See said it was a great initiative to help patients but also to provide learning opportunities for students.
“Sometimes we take dental care for granted, but it’s a reality that not everyone can access dental treatment because of a barrier in their lives or the expense,” Dr See said.
“The students volunteering were able to give back to the community and gain experience in treating people with a range of different dental problems.
“It taught students that even though dentistry is a technical exercise, the patient is a person with feelings, beliefs and different ideas. Caring for the welfare of the patients is just as important as carrying out the dental work itself.”
One of the patients, Mr Dugarme Tassi-e, 61 of Wilson, who receives support from Ruah Community Services, said the initiative was important to help people in the community who are homeless or recovering from homelessness.
“When you’re homeless you struggle to gain access to dental care,” he said. “People don’t understand the effects of years of poor dental hygiene. The minute your dental hygiene goes down, so does your health. It affects what you can eat and puts you in discomfort so you are unable to enjoy a quality of life that others often take for granted.”
Mr Tassi-e said he was relieved to receive a free dental check-up through the initiative, and work on his teeth to repair them and alleviate discomfort.

Doctor of Dental Medicine at UWA

The Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) at the University of Western Australia is a four-year, full-time professional degree with a significant research component. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of relevant knowledge in the basic medical sciences to support the staged development of clinical dental competencies and skills. Early clinical contact is pivotal to the course and students will enter the clinic from the first semester of their study.
Program: Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Semester intake: January
Duration: 4 years
Application deadline: May 30, 2017; however, candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Entry requirements
To be eligible to apply for the UWA School of Dentistry‘s DMD program, eligible applicants must

• have completed a bachelor degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 5.5 out of 7;
• have completed the DAT, GAMSAT or MCAT (123/123/123/123 and an overall minimum of 492).
• be able to attend an in-person interview, which will include successfully completing a spatial awareness component.

The results for these tests will not be used in the final ranking, but will determine if an application proceeds to the final ranking.
In addition, it is recommended that applicants have undertaken the following units/subjects:

• Physics to year 12 level
• Chemistry to first-year university level (including completion of Grade 12 level chemistry)
• Biology or human biology at first-year university level

Test scores will not be considered if the exam results are more than 2 years old. Applicants will be shortlisted for interview based equally on DAT/MCAT/GAMSAT and GPA.

Apply to the University of Western Australia Dental School!

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Contact OzTREKK’s Australian Dental Schools Admissions Officer Adam Smith at adam@oztrekk.com for more information about studying at the UWA School of Dentistry.