After his last visit to the Manitoba Dental College, Martin Samoiloff was pleasantly surprised to learn that the entire treatment was completely free. Samoiloff, who just turned 65, is now covered by the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which recently opened to seniors without dental insurance and whose household income is less than $90,000 a year.
The new University of Manitoba Gerald Niznik Dental College has seven teaching clinics at 790 Bannatyne Street, allowing students to practice their skills under the guidance of highly trained faculty members during their final years of study.
The clinics cover most procedures, from general dentistry to sleep apnea and radiology, at 30 to 50 per cent less than private practice. Samoiloff has been a patient of the dental college since the late 1970s. “I have been happy to support the dental college over the years because it really has provided a very stable service that is excellent,” Samoiloff said. But with more seniors taking advantage of new dental insurance, fewer people are coming to the dental school.
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland recently announced that one million people have used the dental program in the past six months. Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean of the dental school, said they are currently “collecting information and statistics on the potential impact of the CDCP on the program.”
Training at the dental school is invaluable to the school’s dental students, most of whom prefer to stay in Manitoba.
“Because we train students and they need to be trained to a certain level of competency, a decrease in patient volume could be a problem,” Kelekis-Cholakis said. In addition, Kelekis-Cholakis is concerned that surgical pre-approval backlogs could affect the class of 2025 graduates after the full implementation of the Childhood Disease Control Program (CDCP).
“We are so grateful for our patients…Once patients come here and interact with the students, they appreciate what it means to be involved in the education of future dental hygienists,” Kelekis-Cholakis said. “It’s so important for the university and the college to have the public engage in this way.”
Samoilov said he is committed to continuing to attend the college’s clinics even with CDCP coverage for the opportunity to help the next generation of oral health professionals and receive quality care.
The College of Dentistry is currently exploring solutions, including increased funding, scheduling student visits to off-campus clinics, and other incentives. The College of Dentistry is currently exploring solutions, including increased funding, scheduling student visits to off-campus clinics, and other incentives.
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