Clinic that's a reason to smile

Dubai: At the dental clinic at Ajman University of Science and Technology (AUST) you will see rows of dentists hunched over patients similar to any set-up you would see at a hospital. Some perform basic oral check-ups for schoolchildren while others can be heard drilling problematic teeth.

The set-up may be state-of-the art but the dentists are students in various stages of their five-year programme and the work they take on — under close supervision — is of the calibre of any qualified dentistry professional, says College of Dentistry Dean Dr Salem Hassan Abu Fanas.

And while students gain valuable training, the treatment they provide is completely free of charge to the delight of the overwhelming number of UAE residents — nearly 400 — visiting the varsity each day.

Community service

"After two years — which is the pre-clinical stage — they should know everything that they would face in a lab, be it gum diseases, different specialities, and oral surgery," Abu Fanas said.

He added that students practice techniques in the first year, while from the second year onwards — which is the clinical stage — they get hands-on experience by interacting with patients and learning about ethics, and crucial dos and don'ts.

The university has 120 cubicles for treating patients who are required to pay Dh25 to open a case file, following which "we make quite sure the treatment we're offering is excellent and done under supervision of highly-trained teaching staff."

"The advantage to giving treatment free of charge is that poor people can come to us — as you know dental treatment is very expensive — and students have enough cases for training." The clinic has seen more than 100,000 cases and the College of Dentistry has graduated more than 1,000 students in nine batches.

Recently, the dentistry college also received accreditation from the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for its new Masters in Restorative Dentistry programme offering another specialisation to students.

Professor Raghad Hashim, assistant professor and head of the Growth and Development Department, said: "Each section of the clinic has 15 chairs, which means there are about 30 students working there at a time — it's wonderful to provide this service."