Bulletin of Dental Education Article

Community service and engagement is one of the core pillars of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry (VCU SOD) curriculum.

Throughout their education, VCU SOD dental hygiene students travel around Virginia to lend their skills to community clinics, giving those in need better access to oral health care. Students also take courses in public health and apply their skills to real-world scenarios. Since the public health courses occur in both the fall and spring semesters of their senior year, the program felt that placing students in “real life” public health and interprofessional collaboration would be a win/win for the students and the community.

This year, the VCU SOD dental hygiene program has taken that goal a step further.

As a part of the VCU School of Nursing’s Mobile Health and Wellness Program (MHWP), senior dental hygiene students have been providing their services at the VCU Health Hub at 25th. This place-based initiative is operated in Richmond, VA’s East End neighborhood by the VCU Division of Community Engagement in partnership with the VCU Health System. MHWP has been in existence since 2012 and has since become an anchor program at the VCU Health Hub starting in 2019. During this time, the program has grown to include nursing, health sciences, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy and now dental hygiene students at VCU.

Rather than a traditional doctor’s office setting, which invites patients to explain their health concerns and problems, ask questions and receive access to resources for treatment, the VCU team discusses plans of action and creates a detailed treatment plan that addresses many aspects of the participants’ health.

According to Sarah McCall, M.S., Director of the VCU Health Hub, the program seeks to provide education and address health care needs for underserved populations.

“The Health Hub is all about connection and access,” said Ms. McCall. “Our goal is to be a welcoming space where East End residents can learn about health and wellness, find resources that make life a little easier, and feel supported in taking care of themselves and their families. Everything we do starts with listening to the community and responding to what matters most to them.”

Nurse practitioners from VCU Health and participating practices participate in MHWP rotations at the Health Hub site. They serve as both educators for the students and provide resources for patients in need. It’s an opportunity for dental hygiene students to learn new perspectives from different disciplines of health care.

“Oral health is such an important part of overall health, but it’s something that often gets overlooked,” said Ms. McCall. “Having the dental hygiene program here helps us bring preventive care and education right into the community in a place where people already feel comfortable. It’s also a great way for students to see how their work connects to the bigger picture of community health.”

“Having an interdisciplinary team is so important when we interact with our participants in the community. It is the foundation of the program and having the dental hygiene students here with us has been a wonderful start to creating a longer, more sustainable affiliation with our program,” said Kimberly Battle, Ph.D., R.N., FNP-BC, Clinical Associate Professor at the VCU School of Nursing. “It is a way of providing health equity in the realm of dental services to a population where it is so needed.”

In addition to the anchor partner, MHWP, other primary partners and services provided by the Health Hub include health education workshops, legal aid access, fitness classes, VCU classes, community events, research studies and more.

Marion Manski, M.S., RDH, VCU SOD’s Dental Hygiene Program Director, described the students’ involvement as a way of applying the skills and knowledge from their public health courses to real-world scenarios that not only give students practice in treatment planning but also help real people in need.

“There are so many health problems that are an oral-systemic problem, which can interfere with other health problems, and from which tooth problems can arise,” explained Prof. Manski.

“For example, if a participant is diabetic, they can have resulting periodontal problems, but if the periodontal disease is out of control, they cannot control their diabetes.”

“Our students are able to contribute their valuable skills as future dental hygienists to help solve larger health issues and learn from other health care professionals. Health and treatment planning is a collaborative effort," said Prof. Manski.

Typically, four dental hygiene students attend the VCU Health Hub every other Wednesday. They split duties between educational tabling and consulting with patients with an interdisciplinary team. Two of the four students engage in interprofessional collaboration with nurses and nurse practitioners or pharmacy students. They collaborated regarding a patient that had a goal of assistance in coordination and wellness.

Meanwhile, Kendall Wiles and Ainsley Carpenter, two senior dental hygiene students, spent their Wednesday afternoon setting up and operating the dental hygiene information table outside the VCU Health Hub, which provided information booklets about oral health and resources, oral hygiene “goody bags” and more.

“There are people who might not get help because they simply don’t know that there are resources available to them. Tabling at the Health Hub and at other community events gives us an opportunity to reach out and educate people directly,” said Ms. Wiles.

The two students engaged in lively conversation with passersby, many of whom lived in the East End, were visiting the VCU Health Hub or were simply running errands in the shopping center. The students readily answered questions about oral health and what type of affordable and accessible treatment options might be available at VCU and beyond.

“We meet people where they’re at and address their dental health concerns and needs,” said Ms. Carpenter. “For many people, they don’t often have the opportunity to just ask a hygienist a question.”

Access to care is an important issue that VCU SOD students and faculty work diligently to address. Dental care can be especially difficult to obtain for those without health care or who have location barriers.

Prof. Manski described her hope that the program will continue to grow and that dental hygiene students’ involvement can continue to strengthen.

“Watching the students interact with people in the community, provide them with life-changing resources and make a difference is the most rewarding part,” said Prof. Manski.

For Ms. McCall, the most rewarding part of her work at the VCU Health Hub is seeing the connections that are made. 

“I hope students leave with a real sense of what community engagement looks like in action—it’s about listening, showing up and building trust over time,” said Ms. McCall. “I also hope they see how their skills can make a difference outside of a traditional clinical setting. Working in a space like this helps them understand that health isn’t just about treatment. It’s also about relationships and access.”

Courtesy of Mackenzie Meleski, Communications Generalist, Dean’s Office, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry