‘It’s so popular’: Student-led dental initiative becomes official elective at University of Alberta – Oral Health Group

The partnership between the University of Alberta and the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) highlights a collaborative effort to build meaningful connections. Their work reflects a shared commitment to fostering understanding and respect between academic and Indigenous communities. One standout example is a student-led project that began in 2019 to provide urgent dental care to remote communities, which has since evolved into a popular elective course at the university.

“It’s so popular as an elective course,” says Jason Chen, a University of Alberta dental student and co-chair of Access for All, a student-led non-profit offering free dental services to underserved Canadians. “More than 25 of our classmates signed up for it,” he told Oral Health Group, speaking alongside his co-chair, Ibraheem Maita, also a dental student at the University of Alberta.

Access for All organizes three trips annually, aiming to treat around 100 patients per trip, and provides on-campus dental care for those without dental insurance or who cannot afford it. The initiative is also gaining traction, with the University of Toronto attempting to replicate it.

Read More: https://www.oralhealthgroup.com/nextgen/its-so-popular-student-led-dental-initiative-becomes-official-elective-at-university-of-alberta/