Since opening its doors in 1964, the UBC Faculty of Dentistry has graduated over 3,500 dental professionals who continue to impact communities worldwide. From dental hygienists to dentists to dental specialists, we are incredibly proud of our alumni family!
As part of our “in conversation with” series, where we connect with some of our outstanding alumni, and to celebrate Oral Health Month, we spoke with Dr. Dennis Chen, BDSc 2015 from UBC and DMD 2022 from the University of Sydney, who is now doing the General Practice Residency (GPR) training program at UBC Dentistry.
Tell us a bit about your pathway into dentistry.
I like to think the dental profession chose me! There are a lot of physicians in my family but no dentists, and for some reason, when I was in high school, I decided to apply to UBC dental hygiene.
After completing my Bachelor of Dental Science degree, I worked as a hygienist mainly in community settings. It was during my time with the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society that I realized I wanted to be a dentist. A lot of our patients had complex medical histories with mouths full of cavities that required fillings and extractions, and as a hygienist I couldn’t offer a full scope of treatment. I also worked for an oral dysplasia clinic and became interested in oral medicine. I ultimately decided I wanted to be confident in treating patients with complex medical conditions and to expand my scope of practice, so I applied to do my DMD.
I completed dental school in Sydney, Australia, and now I’m back in Vancouver where I’m doing the GPR training program in the hospital dentistry track.
What does a typical day in your GPR training program look like?
The GPR program gives me exposure to a hospital setting. I have the chance to treat medically complex and special needs patients, and see patients in the emergency room alongside the on-call staff dentist.
The most interesting day for me is Thursdays at BC Cancer Agency, which is oral surgery day. I show up around 7:30 am and look over the patients’ charts and radiographs. Once the patient shows up, we do a range of procedures including extractions, alveoloplasties and necrotic bone debridement.
Thursdays at BC Cancer are nonstop. The maximum number of teeth I extracted in one day is 52, which is a lot!
What do you enjoy most about the dental profession?
Being able to offer patients a solution in a time sensitive fashion. A lot of medical professions are centered around managing symptoms or conditions, whereas if someone comes in with a toothache or dental abscess, we can do a root canal or a filling right away.
I also really like understanding the link between oral health and overall health, such as how medical conditions can manifest in the oral cavity.
What advice would you give to current UBC Dentistry students?
Be a sponge and absorb as much knowledge as you can. There are certain learning opportunities that you’ll only get once. For example, depending on where my career goes, I might never be in the operating room again after my residency, so when a surgeon gives me the chance to try something I do the best I can.