Dentistry adventures in the Solomon Islands

Final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students Marcus McShane, Thomas Meath and Mathew Robertson travelled to the remote islands with South Australian-based dentist and JCU dental surgery alumnus Dr Michael Robinson.

After meeting the Deputy High Commissioner in Honiara, the group travelled to the island of Malaita where they worked at the Kilu’ufi and Atoifi hospitals alongside local oral health teams. They also worked with local primary health team teams to deliver oral health promotion and screening in communities.

Dr Robinson says he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and believes the JCU team provided useful support to the local health care service.

“This placement provided a great opportunity for the students to further expand their skills in dentistry, learn how to adapt to different environments, and develop cross-cultural understanding,” he said.

“I was impressed with the JCU dental students, and would encourage other students to undertake an international placement, because it is a great way to develop and build on skills in a different environment.”

Final-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery student Mathew Robertson said his most memorable experience was working in remote areas.

“The people were so friendly. We visited a small village and the kids were climbing coconut trees, and they served us their local food. We played soccer with the kids, and they loved it,” he said.

The Solomon Islands placement was facilitated by Senior Research Fellow and public health researcher Dr David MacLaren, who has an interest in community health issues in remote areas of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

Dr MacLaren said the response from JCU’s partners in the Solomon Islands was overwhelmingly positive. JCU is planning a subsequent trip in 2018.

“The World Health Organisation classifies the Solomon Islands as one of 57 countries deemed to have a critical shortage of health workers. There is a workforce deficit across every level of care in the Solomon Islands, with one dentist per 100,000 people. JCU is pleased to be working with partners in the Solomon Islands to help deliver important dental services,” said Dr MacLaren.

Dental surgery student Thomas Meath said he feels more confident because of the Solomon Islands trip.

"We performed a lot of extractions, so we learnt a lot more about exodontia. We had to be resourceful, as they had limited equipment. We were generally a lot busier than we are in Australia due to the fact that the local dental team can only travel to the area every three months. We saw a lot more patients than we would generally see in an Australian setting. We learnt a lot from the dentists and staff there.”

Thomas said he enjoys the diversity of practice that comes with being a remote dentist.

“Through JCU, I’ve done dental outreach trips to the Cape and Torres, which prepared me well for this trip to the Solomon Islands.  On Thursday Island, I would fly tothe outer islands and spend a week there, and come back to Thursday Island on the Friday. It’s not your everyday dental job, which is great.”

This was student Marcus McShane’s first international travel experience. He said he now has the travel bug, and he hopes he can undertake further international dentistry outreach work.

“The experience opened up my eyes to the world of possibilities that exist for dentists. Dentistry is a rewarding field, and there are opportunities for dentists to work in such a great variety of settings, so I’m really excited about graduating and getting out there and working,” he said.

Thirty per cent of final year Bachelor of Dental Surgery students complete an international placement, compared to the national average of around 18 per cent.

Bachelor of Dental Surgery Clinical Coordinator Dr Felicity Croker said JCU provides a range of international study experiences.

“We think it’s really valuable for students to have an understanding of the world beyond our region. An international experience immerses students in another culture and opens their eyes to different practises in the world beyond. Students return having matured significantly in different ways,” she said.

Mathew, Marcus and Thomas are completing their final exams and are preparing to graduate at the end of 2017. Mathew has accepted a dentistry job in his home town of Darwin, and Marcus in Mackay.

Dr Croker said most JCU Bachelor of Dental Surgery students secure jobs before they graduate. According to Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) data, the graduate employment rate for JCU’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery graduates is 100 per cent, compared to the national average of 94.2 per cent.

“We train our students to have a focus on regional, rural and remote practice. This helps graduates secure positions in areas of demand,” she says.

Mathew offers this advice to dental students considering an international placement:

“Grab the opportunity with both hands. Getting out there and seeing how other countries do things is excellent for your development as a dentist. I learnt so much about dentistry that I don’t think I would have learnt here in Australia and I developed and progressed a lot in my final year because of the experience. If there is the opportunity to go overseas, especially to a developing country, definitely take it.”

The JCU Bachelor of Dental Surgery offers a state-of-the-art grounding in one of Australia’s highest-demand health professions. Employment prospects for dentists are excellent, especially in the public sector and rural areas. The degree is completed over five-years on a full-time basis from the Cairns campus. Students gain real-life experience at JCU’s dental clinics on campus in Cairns and Townsville and at public health facilities  in regional, rural and remote communities.

To find out more about studying dentistry at JCU visit www.jcu.edu.au