A new day for dental and oral health therapy

The inaugural cohort of the Faculty of Dentistry’s latest certificate will have an excellent reason to smile tomorrow.

That's when the class of 21 dental and oral health therapists will graduate with a University of Otago Adult Restorative Dental Care postgraduate certificate, much to the elation of Course Coordinator Associate Professor Susan Moffat.

Susan says that one of the certificate’s intentions is to improve access to dental care by providing a year-long course to enable practising dental therapists and oral health therapists to provide restorative dental care (fillings) to patients aged 18 years and older.

“Currently dental and oral health therapists provide routine restorative care to children and adolescents but can’t provide this care to adults unless completing the relevant study,” Susan says.

“We believe this qualification may help ease the patient load dentists are currently facing, particularly in rural areas where there are more workforce shortages.

“It’s a very special day to see the first cohort of the certificate graduating.”

Here, graduands Victoria Lim and Georgie McKenzie share what their study experience was like and why attaining this certificate matters to them.

Victoria Lim – Gisborne

Based in Gisborne, Oral Health Therapist Victoria Lim faces the challenges of being a rural healthcare practitioner every single day.

Victoria says Gisborne is a region known to have significant healthcare needs and has a shortage of dental professionals to provide for the community.

This reality, as well as her innate drive for life-long learning, is what motivated her to return to Dunedin to complete the new qualification and be part of this new chapter in the profession.

“Our profession emphasises the preventative side of Dentistry and so, having the ability to learn more about providing timely restorative treatment, which can prevent patients from needing complex and costly dental procedures in the long run, was very rewarding.” – Victoria Lim

“I enjoyed my time in Dunedin, revisiting my student days and dedicating time to appreciate the theoretical aspects of our daily work,” Victoria says.

“It provided meaningful insights into the principles that underpin our clinical practice and provided invaluable learning regarding the latest evidence-based information.

“Our profession emphasises the preventative side of Dentistry and so, having the ability to learn more about providing timely restorative treatment, which can prevent patients from needing complex and costly dental procedures in the long run, was very rewarding.”

Victoria encourages others to complete the certificate. While there is a lot of learning, experiencing first-hand how expanding her scope of practice helps reduce wait-times and improve access to basic dental care in rural areas was invaluable.

Victoria says the overall experience was enlightening and pushed her beyond her comfort zone in the best possible way.

“There were definitely challenges along the way and it was a good opportunity for personal and professional growth. I am grateful for the experience and the unwavering support from my mentors and colleagues.”

Georgie McKenzie – Southland

Living in the deep South, Oral Health Therapist Georgie McKenzie returned to the University of Otago after completing her study over 10 years ago.

The motivation to return for this new certificate came from her determination to play her part in helping take pressure off the Southland dental workforce, with both private and public services under huge pressure.

“By doing this program, I’m able to provide further treatment to our community and play my part in reducing some of the pressure our clinic is under.”  – Georgie McKenzie

“The shortage of both dentists and oral health therapists in the region is leading to an increase in untreated dental disease in the community as well as professional burnout for the staff who are working there,” Georgie says.

“By doing this program, I’m able to provide further treatment to our community and play my part in reducing some of the pressure our clinic is under.”

Georgie says returning to Otago was a little daunting as getting back into that study mindset took some time, but it was also amazing to experience first-hand the changes technology has made in both the profession and teaching space.

“Students today might not realise how lucky they are with the modern updates to the Faculty of Dentistry as the access they have to advanced equipment and technologies is a real privilege which will allow for a much smoother transition when they enter the profession.”

Returning to University also provided an excellent opportunity to refresh Georgie’s current knowledge and upskill for greater professional development as she describes dentistry as an ever-evolving profession.

She says she wants to provide the best care for her patients and so staying up-to-date with the latest practices is incredibly important to her.

Having years of experience working in high-risk areas and performing restorative dental work has made Georgie’s transition to treating adults easier than others might find, but she still credits the support of her mentors throughout the course as being the key to her success and would encourage others to complete the certificate as well.

“The ability to seek even basic dental care is extremely difficult in rural and high-needs areas, and so I would encourage others working in the field to complete this certificate, as it helps bridge some of that gap.”