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(Photo by Danny Abriel)

Emma Rumsey says she was one of "those kids" who really enjoyed going to the dentist from an early age. Playing with toys in the waiting room, sitting in the "big chair", choosing her flavours of prophy paste and gel fluoride, and getting a prize at the end of the appointment were all part of the fun of a regular check up.

When her aunt, who was training to be a dental assistant, told Rumsey about the activities that take place in a dental office, she was hooked. "I wanted to know what each instrument was, why cavities were so bad, and why cleanings were important," she says. An interest in a career in oral hygiene soon followed.

From NL to NS
Rumsey is from Marystown, Newfoundland, a town of 5,000 people. When she decided on a career in dental hygiene, she went to Memorial University in St. John’s for two years to obtain the necessary prerequisites. But COVID-19 delayed her move to Nova Scotia to start dental hygiene studies. Instead, she did a dental assisting program in Newfoundland and worked at a dental office for a year. The experience strengthened her resolve to study dental hygiene and the staff there were encouraging.

What appealed to Rumsey about dental hygiene was the opportunity to see patients on a regular basis and to be involved on the preventative side, including teaching adults and children to examine themselves for signs of oral cancer. In fact, Rumsey says the oral pathology classes she had were among her favourites.

"It was so interesting to learn about normal vs abnormal lesions in our textbooks and then be able to see them in our patients,” she says. "I didn’t know we would learn so much in dental hygiene or that we could be the front line of spotting precancerous lesions."

(Photo by Danny Abriel)

A special cause
During her two years in the BDH program, Rumsey was involved with the student chapter of the Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health and volunteered with the Special Olympics Special Smiles program. Special Smiles was particularly dear to her heart.

"I have two siblings – a brother and a sister – and both of them have autism," she explains. "So it was great to see how I could not only support my siblings but provide care to a variety of patients." 

Rumsey’s brother and sister cannot go to a regular dental office. Instead, they receive oral health care at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre in St. John’s, over three hours away by car from Marystown.

"I’d really like to see my siblings be able to go into a regular dental office and receive basic care in a supportive environment," she says. "Because if people with disabilities can’t receive basic care, they become vulnerable to oral health conditions that require much more invasive care."

Over the two years of the dental hygiene program, Rumsey has gained experiences that have confirmed her aspirations to help fearful patients receive oral hygiene care.

She treated people in the dementia ward at Veterans Memorial Hospital during one of her placements, which opened her eyes to caring for this population. "For dementia patients, receiving oral health care can be scary," she says. "Taking the time to provide them with what they need – rather than what you think they need – with kindness and compassion goes a long way."

In another placement at the North End Community Health Centre dental clinic, Rumsey encountered many anxious patients, many of whom had not had a lot of oral health care over the years.

With one nervous young patient of about nine, who didn’t like the feel of scalers and other instruments, Rumsey was able to offer a "magic toothbrush" with bubble gum toothpaste and then successfully remove all the deposit on the child’s teeth. Rumsey received a hug at the end of the appointment. "It really made me appreciate what I can give my patients."

A class leader
Rumsey was president of her class for two years and served on Faculty Council and the dental hygiene curriculum committee. As class president, she provided opportunities to her class by organizing meet-and-greet sessions with dentalcorp and East Coast Dental Group. Serving on the committees enabled her to see a different side of the program and appreciate how much goes into it.

At this year’s graduation dinner, Rumsey became the inaugural recipient of the Class of 2025 award for student excellence, which was presented to her by former class president, Tarik Abdulkarim. She has joined South End Family Dentistry, owned by Drs. Sarah Foley (DDS’11) and Taylor Shupe (DDS’18).

(Photo by Nick Pearce)