Being a lifelong resident of P.G., I started my path to becoming a dentist at CNC. The college's motto is "Start here, go anywhere" and I am living proof of that. My dental education and career has taken me all over North America.
Now I work at College Heights Dental along with three other dentists. Our office is open six days per week and we serve between 3,000-4,000 patients. In our office, we employ 15 certified dental assistants and hygienists. Thirteen of the fifteen are graduates of the CNC dental program which represents 87 per cent of our team. Without the CNC dental program, we would not be able to provide dental services to our patients. As a dentist, I cannot perform clinical procedures without of the assistance of highly skilled staff. These assistants require extensive training that private offices cannot provide. In fact, our college of dental surgeons regulates who can be in the dental operatory as a dental assistant. Only graduates of accredited institution are able to fully assist chairside. Similarly, certified dental hygienists are specially trained to provide preventative hygiene services. Without the local CNC dental program, our office would not be able to function as it does today.
As a dentist in Prince George, I am fortunate to have access to locally trained staff. However, the CNC program is not only critical for local dentists. CNC grads are the predominate employees of dental offices in Williams Lake, Quesnel, 100 Mile House, Terrace, Dawson Creek, and many other northern communities. Without them, the dental offices would close. An example of this is the situation that currently exists in Mackenzie. Currently the town of Mackenzie is without dental services even though the town has a fully functioning dental clinic, thousands of charts, and a number of dentists willing to work there. The Mackenzie Dental Clinic has remained closed simply due to the lack of certified dental assistants and hygienists, not due to the lack of dentists.
I am surprised that the board is considering closing the dental program. From an outsider's perspective, it appears CNC has invested heavily in the trades programs which typically don't attract many women. The dental programs provide women a fantastic opportunity to earn a high paying career in the dental field. Almost every graduate has a position waiting for them. In my opinion, closing this program does not contribute to maintaining equality between programs which typically attract male and female students. I hope the board will take this into consideration when coming to a decision.
Dr. Jessey Minhas
Prince George
