Pat Ryley, a resident at CapitalCare Norwood has her teeth cleaned by dental hygiene students Taylor Taschuk and Tamara Stayko.
The University of Alberta's School of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene is bringing dental hygiene care directly to seniors' residences, making the trek to their dental hygienist much shorter.
The dental hygiene house calls were made possible thanks to two new mobile dental units donated by A-dec, a U.S.-based dental office furniture and equipment manufacturer. The units are a key part of the dental hygiene BSc community practicum module because they enable students to provide enhanced oral hygiene care to seniors living in residential care facilities in the Edmonton area.
For seniors, the convenience of having students come into their homes and provide care is valued and appreciated.
"I love having the students come here because getting out for me for a long length of time to go to the dental office and back is difficult. So to have the girls come here is marvelous," says Pat Ryley, a resident at CapitalCare Norwood.
The mobile dental units include a patient chair, overhead light and a field service unit that has water and suction. The equipment allows students to set up in a common area in the residence or go directly into a person's room.
"Oral health is so important for the geriatric population, and it was such a pleasure to see people commenting on how clean their teeth felt after the students provided the dental cleaning and scaling treatments," says Crystal Tyce, care manager with CapitalCare Norwood.
Arlynn Brodie, assistant clinical professor, says the practicum is a win-win situation that enables the dental hygiene students to enhance their communication and clinical skills, while providing seniors who are limited by mobility or health issues with access to dental hygiene treatment.
"We are able to provide on-site dental hygiene treatment to residents, and then, if further diagnosis and treatment is required, the residents are referred to a community dental office or the Glenrose Dental Clinic," she says. "Students benefit greatly from this experience because they are able to take their clinical skills and translate them into different environments, causing them to think more critically and be effective in treating this population."
Going into these communities is a challenge, says fourth-year dental hygiene student Taylor Taschuk. "You learn to deal with different situations. Often the experience is both physically and mentally demanding, like having to stand and administer treatment.
"You learn a lot from it."