CSU dental students have made a big difference in the rural community of Brewarrina by providing free dental services as part of their final year work placement.
Starting your career early sounds pretty good to most of us studying at uni, which is a major part most degrees at CSU. For our dental science students, they put their studies to the test by helping out a community in need.
CSU joined with the Rural and Remote Dental Project in 2014, which is an initiative to provide better oral health and dental services that was established by the Brewarrina Shire Council in 2008. Each year, Brewarrina receive an intake of students from CSU who are in their final year of studying dental science.
Erin Currier, Alagu Annamalai, Cathleen Dong and Anna-Lise Phoebe are all in their fifth year of studying the Bachelor of Dental Science through the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences at CSU and are just a few of the students that travelled for the placement.
Unfortunately Brewarrina faces a lack of oral health and dental services, with residents having to travel 200kms to find a private dental service. Students were able to conduct treatment on people and take hands on learning to the next level.
“We did teeth extractions, denture work and restorative treatment to people of all ages including school children,” said CSU student Ms Erin Currier.
Director of CSU’s Oral Health and Dental Clinics Dr Heather Cameron said “Students were exposed to some very broken down mouths due to limited access to local oral health and dental services. The work they do during placement makes a real difference to people’s lives.”
Work placement is great for giving you a taste of what it’s like outside of lectures and late nights studying, but to be given the opportunity to help out a community in need was an extremely rewarding experience for the students. CSU pride themselves on their dedication to providing a hands on learning experience for all students, ensuring that they are workplace ready. Work placement is a great way to get a feel for your career and you never know, you may even snag a job by the end of it.
