PETALING JAYA: Although Lincoln University College’s dental clinic serves as a training ground for its dental students, the institution also sees it as a way to give back to society by making dental services affordable and accessible to the public.
Speaking to FMT, Lincoln University College’s Faculty of Dentistry’s Professor Rahimah Abdul Kadir said the clinic is run by Year Three, Four and Five students who are supervised by the university’s lecturers.
“At our dental clinic, members of the public can walk in for screening and diagnosis, between Monday and Friday from 9.30am to 3.30pm.
“After screening and diagnosis, further treatments such as non-invasive preventive measures, scaling, extractions, root canals and removal of wisdom teeth can be done by appointment.”
Rahimah said the dental clinic only charges a minimal cost as it was not set up with the aim of making profit.
Although the treatments are carried out by students, she said there was no reason for anyone to feel afraid as they are supervised at all times by lecturers who are dental specialists by training.
“Of course, the more senior the student is, the more complex treatments they can do. In cases where a dental treatment is too complex, then the lecturer will take over and the students will observe.
“But the students can do almost anything except major treatments such as braces and cleft surgeries, as you have to be a specialist to do that.”
Rahimah said the dental clinic in Lincoln University College’s Faculty of Dentistry in Petaling Jaya is fully equipped with state of the art equipment and tools in keeping with the stringent standards set by the Malaysian Dental Council (MDC).
“Dentistry is still very much a good career for those who are interested in it. With dentistry, there’s no housemanship like doctors, but graduates do have to serve one year in the public service.”
Rahimah said fresh graduates are given a three-year contract by the government and are required to fulfil one year of compulsory service.
“But the one-year service is different from a housemanship, because the dentists will not be supervised once they enter the government service. This means they will get a lot of exposure and experience in that one year.
“So if you ask me, I feel it’s good if dental graduates serve out the three-year contract because of the exposure.
“Also in dentistry, if you want to specialise, then you have to have at least two years of continuous post-graduation work experience.”
After the three years, she said the dentists can opt for specialisation, continue in the public service or move to the private sector.
Established in 2002, Lincoln University College offers over 80 certificate, foundation, diploma, degree, master and doctorate courses covering 10 disciplines including medicine, engineering, business and accounting, hospitality management, computing and networking, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing and social sciences and humanities.