Students from Robertson School took home balloons following their dental treatments on April 26 as part of the Cholakis Dental Group: Kids Dental Outreach Program.
UM children’s dental outreach program marks 25 years of caring for inner-city kids
For the past 25 years, thousands of inner-city children have received the dental care they needed thanks to a partnership between the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry and the Winnipeg School Division.
The UM dental college celebrated this important milestone on April 26 at an event where it was announced that the Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation and the Cholakis Dental Group will now be sponsoring the children’s dental outreach program. With this support, it will now be known as the Cholakis Dental Group: Kids Dental Outreach Program.
Stakeholders from the Winnipeg School Division and key partners toured the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry as part of the anniversary event.
The outreach program was launched with Shaughnessy Park School in 1998 by Dr. Charles Lekic, then head of pediatric dentistry at the UM dental school. The program has since expanded to provide dental care at no cost to youth from 18 Winnipeg School Division schools.
“The program provides much needed oral health care to kids, and it plays an important part in the education of our dental and dental hygiene students,” said Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. “We value the strong partnership we have with participating schools and the Winnipeg School Division, and we are thankful for the generous support from our new sponsors. We look forward to the next 25 years.”
Mohammad Rezai, assistant superintendent of anti-racism, equity and climate justice, Winnipeg School Division, thanked the dental college for offering the program.
“I know it means a lot, to a lot of families,” Rezai said. “I was a newcomer. I know what it means to really have no money for some of those treatments. So, this is very valuable, and I really appreciate it and am thankful for the partnership.”
Stakeholders from the Winnipeg School Division were invited to the dental college to tour the dentistry building and hear from key partners. Dr. William Wiltshire, professor and head, department of preventative dental science and chair of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, gave a presentation about the program.
Generous support
At the event, Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, announced the new funding and thanked the Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation and the Cholakis Dental Group for ensuring the children’s outreach program continues to provide excellence in dental care and education.
[Left to right] Dr. Peter Nickerson, vice-provost (health sciences) and dean, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences; Cindy Krowetz, office manager, Cholakis Dental Group; Elizabeth Deacon, board member, Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation; and John Deacon, chair of the Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation.
“Thanks to your support, UM will be able to offer vital dental services to inner-city elementary students for decades to come,” Nickerson said.
Cindy Krowetz, office manager, Cholakis Dental Group, said that together with the generous support of the Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation, “We are here today to strengthen a program that’s designed to provide dental health care to Winnipeg School Division children and improve the learning experience of our dental students at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry.”
John Deacon, chair of the Dr. Alfred E. Deacon Medical Research Foundation, said, “We are very pleased to be able to co-sponsor this program along with Dr. Ernest Cholakis and his input of funds to keep this going.”
Lasting impact
On Fridays during the school year, about 40 children are bussed each week to the dental school’s clinic for care.
In 2022-23, dental students screened more than 2,500 children in kindergarten to Grade 6. More than 1,000 treatments were provided to 209 students through the Children’s Dental Outreach Program and another program called SMILE plus, a partnership with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
About 40 children are bussed each Friday during the school year to the dental school’s clinic as part of the Cholakis Dental Group: Kids Dental Outreach Program.
“Many children come to us in significant pain and discomfort,” said Dr. Jim Ksionzyk, assistant professor and director of undergraduate pediatric dentistry, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry. “Through the treatments we provide we’re able to alleviate that pain, and for a lot of the children, we’re able to prevent them from having further complications with their adult teeth by treating their baby teeth.”
UM’s dental outreach program has a positive impact on children, said Kim Storer, a community support worker at Lord Nelson School and Weston School.
“A lot of them have never been to see a dentist, and at first, they’re a little bit anxious, but the dental students are so great with them. After they come, they love it,” Storer said.
The Cholakis Dental Group: Kids Dental Outreach Program will not only continue to help inner-city kids, but will offer dental students valuable experience. Providing care to kids through the program has inspired fourth-year dental student Navi Mann to pursue a one-year residency in pediatric dentistry at SickKids Hospital in Toronto.
“At the end of the day, treating kids comes down to how you interact with them, and you have to make dentistry less scary for them, which can be a bit challenging,” Mann said. “But I think staying positive, trying to show the kids what you’re doing, being creative with them all the time – it really helps – and this program has given me a glimpse into what treating kids will be like in the real world.”