It was the summer of 2023 when Xuan Nguyen, BDSc 2025, saw first-hand how difficult it can be to access oral healthcare. She joined UBC Dentistry Clinical Assistant Professor Carrie Krekoski, BDSc 2010, as part of a research project, supported by CHANGE BC and the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice, studying unmet dental needs in northern BC communities, and returned to campus inspired.

When she entered fourth year, Xuan knew she wanted her SEL business plan to address disparities in oral healthcare access and decided to start locally. Along with her team, Xuan created an online platform to connect families who earn less than $90,000 a year and are eligible for public dental benefits with dentists in their neighbourhood.

“We realized that a lot of what exists online isn’t up to date,” says Xuan. “For example, just because a dentist’s website says they accept disability assistance, doesn’t mean they do. I found this issue not only in rural communities, but also in Vancouver. It’s very difficult for low-income families to find a dentist that will accept their benefits.”    

The team contacted dental offices across Vancouver to confirm which benefits are accepted, creating an up-to-date platform. The long-term plan is to include dental offices across the province and introduce subscription tiers, with offices subscribed to the highest tier appearing more prominently in search results. The platform would eventually expand to include all oral healthcare professionals, not just dentists, and patients could book an appointment after matching with a clinic directly through the platform. “I had never taken a business course before, so it was really interesting to learn about the different components of running a business and how to present a plan in an effective and interesting way,” says Xuan. “I would love to implement this project one day!”