The landscape of community engagement at UWC; Faculty of Dentistry Outreach Programmes Prof Rob Barrie 31 October 2017

Background Dental Students need patients for training purposes Patients (especially in W Cape) need dental treatment Outreach is therefore a win-win situation!

Outreach Programmes Apart from Phelophepa train, they take place after hours Voluntary student participation Planned in conjunction with Health authorities Basic dental services provided – mainly for pain and sepsis

Phelophepa Health Train There are two trains in operation simultaneously Students are from Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, Psychology and Dental Every final year dental student works for 2 weeks on the train One whole carriage is the Dental Clinic – six dental surgeries Students work, eat and sleep on the train Train usually stays at a town for two weeks at a time All costs are borne by the Transnet Foundation.

Phelophepa Dining Car

Phelophepa Dining Car

Phelophepa Laundry

Students need access to social media!

Weekend Outreaches Takes place on a Saturday (as well as a Sunday, usually) Places visited include Montagu, Bonnievale, Piketberg, Vredenburg, Tulbagh, Ceres, De Doorns, Rawsonville Use Faculty Mobile Clinic (2 fixed chairs) Set up five portable chairs, lights and suction in school or health clinic Provide all instruments, equipment, materials and autoclaves.

Our Mobile Dental Clinic

Patients queueing

At work in clinic using portable equipment

At work in clinic using portable equipment

At work in clinic using portable equipment

At work in clinic using portable equipment

Central Sterilizing Department

Keeping the little ones busy

Happy students arriving at the clinic

Time for relaxing as well!

What is achieved for the students Students participate enthusiastically They experience a real-life working environment They are not burdened with stress of being assessed on procedures They work incredibly hard They treat their patients with empathy and respect They love it!

What is achieved for the patients Free dental service near their home, when they are not away at work In 2016, we treated: 2007 patients Extracted 3486 teeth Filled 115 teeth Scaled and polished 51 patients Placed 892 fissure sealants Value of these treatment services is R618 500 In addition, over 3000 patients were seen on Phelophepa!

How do the students feel? They write a reflection of their experiences on Phelophepa: “For the last 4 years studying dentistry seemed to be a never ending battle. Most times the pressure of the course made me think that dentistry is not something I could see myself doing as a long term career. As soon as I started working on the train I discovered for the first time how I enjoyed the work I do and how wonderful working as a dentist can be. I loved every bit of my Phelophepa train adventure and wished it did not have to end. It will remain the highlight of my chapter as a dentistry student.”

How do the students feel (about Phelophepa)? “I gained great respect for all the inter-professional primary healthcare workers, and realized that we were not just a dental team, but part of a bigger team related to overall health care.” “I am truly grateful for the knowledge I gained and an unforgettable experience.” “It was refreshing to ask myself what I could do best for the patient, instead of subconsciously calculating how many quotas I could glean from their jaws”.

How do the students feel? “The train has had a very big impact on my self confidence and has given me a much needed boost. It allowed me to grow and to believe in myself as clinician. I gained a lot of experience and the supervisors were approachable and supportive and allowed me to gain new skills. I will forever be grateful for my time on the Phelophepa health care train and will treasure all the good memories I made always. The train was by far the best experience I have had in my 5 years as a dentistry student, and if I was given half the chance to go again, I would without a doubt; grab the opportunity with both hands. Thank you UWC for allowing us to be part of one of the best outreach programmes there is. It was an honour serving the people of Mthatha”.

How do the students feel? “I have never wanted to become a dentist more than I did when I was on the train. The manner in how the patients looked at us every morning when we arrived for clinics, how friendly they were, how patient they were to receive treatment and ultimately, how grateful they were after treatment was a great feeling to say the least. After experiencing this during the course of the week, I just came to a sudden realisation and I thought to myself “I have chosen the right career. This is where I can make a difference in people’s lives”. ”

How do the patients feel? Research project carried out in 2016 (Shirzadi, Simpson, Smit and Weidemann) interviewed 275 patients at Op die Berg and Fistantekraal Outreaches The mean waiting time was 128.3 minutes; and 89.4% of the patients were satisfied with this waiting time

Shirzadi et al (2016) 93% of the patients found the overall treatment to be ‘good’ or ‘excellent’

Shirzadi et al (2016) Compared to state dental clinics, 70% of the patients perceived the service delivered at these outreach clinics to be of a higher standard.

Conclusion Our Dental Students are doing an excellent job Patients appreciate what the students are doing The Dental Outreach Programme is very worthwhile! UWC can be very proud of our Dental students!

Thank you for listening!