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Joanne Noye (DDH’86), Shannon O’Neill (DDH’97), Carrie Morrison (DDH’07) and Shana Ewart (DDH’10, BDH’11) address Dalhousie’s dental hygiene students

Think every student runs for the door the second classes end for the day? Think again. On the evening of Wednesday, April 5, more than 75% of Dalhousie’s dental hygiene student body attended the Dentistry Mentorship Program’s first ever dental hygiene mentorship event.

"Dental hygiene in the real world" was a panel presentation featuring Dalhousie dental hygiene alumni with a variety of experiences, including independent practice, general practice, specialty practice, public health, the dental supply industry and organized dental hygiene. The speakers shared their insight and opinions on several topics of interest to dental hygiene students, including ethics, employment issues, and the importance of becoming involved in the oral health community.

"The large turnout of prospective dental hygienists is encouraging for the future of the profession," says Shauna Hachey (DDH’04, BDH’12), the event’s moderator and an executive member of the Dentistry Alumni Committee. "The panel members provided valuable information and the students were engaged and keen to ask questions. It was such a great opportunity for them to see the exciting possibilities for their own careers."

Although the Dentistry Mentorship Program – a joint initiative of the Faculty of Dentistry and the Nova Scotia Dental Association – has been running at Dalhousie for four years, it has taken some time to expand its special events series to include dental hygiene students. Thanks to a strong first showing, in addition to support from the College of Dental Hygienists of Nova Scotia, plans are already underway to coordinate additional dental hygiene-specific mentorship events.