This year, the Faculty of Dentistry celebrates its 100th graduating class. Throughout May, we'll be running a series of articles on the faculty's lasting legacy. For more on the centennial, visit .
Edith Billard first started as a patient at Dalhousie鈥檚 Faculty of Dentistry 50 years ago. If you鈥檙e into crunching numbers, that鈥檚 seven deans, three major renovations and more than 2,900 students ago.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 go anywhere else, because this is where I came and this is where I stayed,鈥� says Ms. Billard, now 90.
The faculty will graduate its 100th class this year, and the convocation will be captured in a larger centennial celebration from May 23 to 26. In total, more than 100 alumni from the class of 1962 through to the class of 2012 have provided care for Ms. Billard.
Building skills, helping patients
Students in the doctor of dental surgery and diploma in dental hygiene program perform the dental treatments at the school鈥檚 clinic, which sees more than 12,000 patients each year.
To prepare, students first do simulation exercises, and their first trials with rubber dams or local anaesthesia are performed on a classmate acting as a patient. When the students are ready to treat patients, they start with simple procedures, closely supervised as they move on to more complex ones.
鈥淸Patients] appreciate the students. They enjoy the interaction they have with the students,鈥� says Dr. Blaine Cleghorn, the faculty鈥檚 assistant dean of clinics. 鈥淚 think some people come here because they like contributing to the students鈥� education. They realize they鈥檙e getting some great dentistry done here. The students are supervised by excellent clinicians.鈥�
The faculty has many long-term patients, Dr. Cleghorn adds. Some patients will get dentures made that could last as long as seven years, but they come back a year or two later for a new set to give the students a chance to polish their skills.
Ms. Billard says her interactions with students have always been positive. Other things have changed over the years.
鈥淲hen I first came to the old [clinic]鈥f you had 20 dollars, or whatever you had鈥hat鈥檚 what they鈥檇 charge you,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey were good people and everything like that, but they never charged. And if you couldn鈥檛 afford it, you didn鈥檛 pay nothin鈥�. It went up after, but even so, I came, because I like it here.鈥�
Dr. Cleghorn says the faculty is fortunate to have patients like Ms. Billard. He hopes to provide her oral health care for years to come.
鈥淔or somebody to come to our faculty for that long indicates loyalty and satisfaction,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really appreciative of all the kind things she says.鈥�
Looking to the future
As the faculty approaches its centennial anniversary, it鈥檚 also in the early stages of a clinic renewal. Dr. Ronald Bannerman, assistant dean of academic affairs, says a review and update of the curriculum is planned to sync with the physical changes. The school wants to improve both the educational experience for students and the treatment experience for patients.
鈥淲e鈥ant to make the transition from dental school to private practice more seamless,鈥� Dr. Cleghorn adds. 鈥淲e鈥檙e creating a number of small group practice settings in our new clinic where dental students and dental hygiene students work closely together treating patients like they would in a private office.鈥�
The faculty can count on Ms. Billard to be there when the new clinic opens.
鈥淎ll those years and I still come back,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f I can walk, I鈥檒l come.鈥�