Students and professionals in dentistry are volunteering their time to give back to people in Regina and surrounding areas by offering free dental services.

As part of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Health and Wellness Day on Saturday, around 150 students and professionals provided free oral health care to people in need.

“This is a collaborative event with our dentists, dental assistants, dental therapists, dental hygienists, and students,” explained Robin McKay Ganshorn, clinical coordinator for dental programs at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

“Every individual that we see today has went through a pre-screening process at our clinic, so all their X-rays and treatment has been determined before they come. Then they get a set appointment time today to be able to come and have the dental services done.”

The community of volunteers put on the one-day event annually to educate the public about oral care techniques, while also building students’ confidence.

“What is the most enjoyable part of today for the students is they get to see lots of dentistry being done. There’s lots of restorative work done, extractions completed, things that we don’t often see in our regular clinic on a day-to-day basis,” shared McKay Ganshorn.

“They just have the opportunity to see the hustle and bustle of a big event like this.”

The event has been happening since 2012, serving about 70 people every year.

However, this year, volunteers worked on roughly 100 people.