Sink your teeth into a career in dental therapy

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Dental health in Canada's north is a growing concern, particularly in Aboriginal communities where access to dental service is limited.

The Saskatchewan Indian Federated College is actively seeking to rectify this situation by training the men and women who live in these communities in the practice of dental therapy.

The two-year course, the National School of Dental Therapy for First Nations teaches students to provide basic oral health services to communities in the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and First Nations communities throughout Canada. It is designed to support the efforts of First Nations and Inuit communities to improve their oral health.

Originally placed under the auspices of the University of Toronto, the program was relocated to SIFC in July, 1995 and placed under the control of Aboriginal people. The program hopes to attract a greater number of Native students to the field.

The course is demanding, said Dr. Steve Wolfson, acting dean of the program. Students are trained in everything from fillings and extractions to preventive services.

Hired by governments and medical services employers, the students will become salaried workers providing consistent and reliable dental care, said Wolfson. The course is not designed to prepare dental therapists for work in urban centres, or with dentists in private practice.

Candidates need to have good reading skills and have the potential to be good students, Wolfson said. But more than anything, students need to have the desire to be in a helping profession.

Health Canada finances the program, covering tuition and books. Funding to cover living and transportation costs has to be found elsewhere.

Only 25 students can be accepted each September and preference is given to individuals who have lived in First Nations and Inuit communities who are interested in making a long-term commitment.

Of the 17 students currently enrolled in the first year class, 12 are Aboriginal, said Wolfson. Of the 90 therapists working in the field today, 20 are First Nations people.

Though the program has been running for the past 20 years in Ontario, it has yet to graduate an Inuit dental therapist, Wolfson said. The program is actively recruiting Inuit people.

SFIC has created a relaxed and favorable learning atmosphere for Aboriginal people. Where at one time there was little support for people unfamiliar with the challenges of a high pressure learning environment, the college has gone out of their way to lend that support.

Applicants are generally required to have Grade 12 or equivalent, including biology and English, but some provision has been made for mature students to apply.

The deadline for applications is April 30. For additional information, contact Albertine Gosselin at 1-800-359-3576, or fax at (306) 779-6116.