Thanks to the Special Children’s Dental Program, young patients like Ramandeep (left) receive dental care. The program also enables students to practice pediatric dentistry as a service to the community.

Special Children’s Dental Program

When twelve-year-old Ramandeep Sharma had her two front teeth damaged at a playground, her family was facing root canals and permanent crowns – treatment that they could not afford. Fortunately Ramandeep qualified for the Special Children’s Dental Program, where students from UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry treat pediatric patients under the supervision of licensed dentists.

“Without this program, many kids in the Lower Mainland would go without dental care,” says Dr. Tracy Wong, who facilitates the program at UBC. “It enables students to practice pediatric dentistry and it is a service to the community.”

“We also have a satellite clinic at Douglas College in New Westminster,” says Dr. Rosamund Harrison, who heads up pediatric dentistry at UBC. “Here we can involve dentists who live or practice close by and this location is convenient for our families.”

Although the program has been operating for nearly thirty years, its sources of funding have sometimes been uncertain. A recent $60,000 donation from the CKNW Orphans’ Fund has provided a huge boost – services such as buses to bring children to UBC and the translation of information into languages such as Punjabi have made a great difference.

The CKNW Orphans’ Fund began in 1945 when the radio station solicited donations from listeners and sponsors. Initially used to help children in the New Westminster orphanage, the fund is now a major source of grants for Lower Mainland children’s organizations.

“People who fund the Special Children’s Dental Program are truly appreciated,” says Dr. Wong, “by the children and their families, by the dental students who have the opportunity to treat children, and by all of us who work in the community and know what the needs are.”

Fourth year DMD student Jennifer Kelly managed Ramandeep’s treatment, which took several appointments to complete. “I have realized,” she said, “the impact that dentistry can have on the confidence of children. When I first met Ramandeep, she smiled without showing her teeth, but the crowns have dramatically changed her outlook.”

And what’s the first thing Ramandeep will enjoy with her new teeth? “Biting into an apple!” she says with a smile.
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