In 2023, UBC Dentistry became the first dental hygiene program in the country to offer a course specifically on business and entrepreneurship. The Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership (SEL) course equips students with knowledge and skills in team management, business economics and financial literacy. Students develop a comprehensive business plan that generates social and economic value, with a particular focus on improving access to oral healthcare in underserved communities.     

Negar Sasani, BDSc 2025, has a vision: She wants to make dental care accessible to children living with disabilities. Her passion started through a volunteer position where she taught kids living with autism and their parents about the importance of oral health.

“Families would tell me how challenging it was to get dental care for their child, and it made me realize there’s a big gap,” says Negar. “Kids living with disabilities have a higher risk of developing dental cavities, and the longer we wait to address a dental issue, the more complex it becomes.”

The SEL course was the perfect opportunity for Negar to bring her vision to life. Her team developed a business plan for a mobile dental hygiene truck serving children living with disabilities. The group researched ways to make it accessible and enjoyable, from decorating the truck in warm tones to having hygienists wear clear masks so kids could see their facial expressions and establish trust. They also explored using virtual reality to help relax and distract patients during their appointment, as well as created a website where parents could ask questions and submit photos of their child’s mouth.

“The idea is for our mobile clinic to partner with dental offices,” says Negar. “We would be the family’s first point of contact and would get the child used to having dental work done. If they need a more complex procedure like a root canal, we would drive them to one of our partner dental offices.”

The plan earned Negar and her team a first-place win in the SEL Health Challenge, where students present their business concept to a panel of experts in dental entrepreneurship and innovation. As a new graduate, Negar hopes the truck will one day become a real business venture. She is currently a Masters student in UBC Medicine’s Rehabilitation Sciences program, where she is further exploring her passion of pediatric care for children living with disabilities.

“I really believe the SEL course helps students think about dental care in a different way and on a bigger scale,” says Negar. “It gave me an opportunity to think creatively and approach healthcare with a holistic mindset.”