Dalhousie University President Dr. Kim Brookes recently toured the Faculty of Dentistry’s Government Assisted Populations (GAP) Oral Health Clinic, which serves new Canadians in need of oral health care.
The GAP Clinic partners with the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia to provide dentistry to new immigrants to the province. Many patients receive their first-ever dental exams at the clinic. The care is provided by dentistry and dental hygiene students and faculty. It is funded by Dalhousie alum, past faculty members and donor Susan Keating-Bekkers.
Not only does the clinic provide vital oral health treatment for so many patients, it is also a great learning opportunity for students to gain confidence with hands-on experience among a diverse group of patients.
“Think about how those interactions change who these students are and what they care about,” Dr. Brooks says. “It enables them to think more about who their patients are and how they can communicate with them more effectively. That means better, more empathetic, and more inclusive care.”
