Preparing dental hygiene and DDS students to enter the oral health workforce is a key component of the student experience at Adams School of Dentistry. Working at one of the school’s six outreach clinics can help students prepare for the realities of operating and working at a dental practice and lets them experience the impact that social determinants of health may have on current and future patients.
Patients at these clinics may come from non-English speaking backgrounds and face language barriers. They may be refugees with few local resources or identify as LGBTQIA+ and are hesitant to seek care. They may not be financially able to visit an oral health care provider on a regular basis. The outreach clinics include Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC) which is a series of free clinics organized and run by UNC-CH medical, dental and other health professional students; Vidas de Esperanza in Siler City; REACH clinic in Raleigh; CAARE (Community – Action – Advocacy – Restoration – Empowerment) clinic in Durham; SMILE (Serving through Mobile dentistry to Inspire, Lift, and Empower) Clinic; Pride Clinic in Chapel Hill and DYOR Clinic (in honor of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha) in Raleigh.
“Access to care and access to professionals is a benefit for patients at our outreach clinics. If they had no access they may put [treatment] off and have a severe diagnosis, but with us, we can catch problems early and refer and facilitate further care.”
ASOD’s Allen Samuelson, DDS ’92, who serves as the faculty advisor for the outreach clinics
Samuelson has been involved with the outreach clinics in different capacities since 1995 and said working in these clinics helps students understand clinical practice more fully, including learning about professional business hierarchies, accountability, and most importantly, ethics and professionalism. Students are able to leave the rigors of the classroom behind and gain experience working with people from different backgrounds in a safe yet supervised environment. Samuelson has seen how clinic work has affected the student coordinators, and the changes in them as they progress. He said he is struck by the empathy they bring to their patients and these clinics.
“Everything you do should be to build up people and encourage them. I see the difference when they see a different perspective,” Samuelson said. “If I have a person in my chair, I am here to build them up and to treat them as if they’re [a celebrity]. Our students have that feeling already, that respect for all people, and this is the boots on the ground approach.”
Samuelson sees his role as a problem solver for the student coordinators as they navigate the clinical practice, and often, students find themselves troubleshooting at the clinics, too.
“Exposing yourself to new ways of clinical practice requires building skills in mindfulness, conflict resolution, and communication to become a confident and caring health care provider for populations experiencing significant socioeconomic hardship,” said Sophia Chizhikova, DDS candidate ’25, student coordinator for the Pride Clinic.
Chizhikova has implemented gatherings at the beginning of shifts to help get volunteers on the same page every evening before the clinic starts, reviewing barriers patients may face, clinic expectations and common errors they can address during appointments.
“Building these opportunities to ask questions, share experiences and improve our understanding of our patients has challenged me to get creative about how I’m presenting new information to people who may be hearing it for the first time. It’s amazing to know that our efforts will help improve culturally competent care across the country as our graduates carry our lessons with them into their clinical practice,” she said.
Esther Lee, DDS candidate ’25, student coordinator for the SMILE Mobile Clinic, said she has also gained some key insights into real world dental scenarios through her experience with the clinic.
“A valuable theme I have seen while working with SMILE is that not one person can do this alone. We have been a collaborative family since day one and work with one another to accomplish our shared goals,” she said.
For Lee, the experience working with the outreach clinic has been rewarding and has made an impact on her ASOD experience as a whole.
“Being able to provide treatment to those who would not otherwise be able to afford the dental services or travel to the dental office to access the care they need has been eye-opening. I have learned that as a dental student at UNC my involvement is not limited to the lecture room or student clinic. Being a part of the SMILE team allows the opportunity to learn how to run a mobile clinic and to bridge the gaps in access to dental care. To be able to work with different communities and witness the impact we make is very inspiring,” she said.
Samuelson said that impact can reach even further with help from alumni and friends who also want to support these community efforts and student success.