Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s new two-year Bachelor of Science in Dental Therapy program launched this fall, and it will soon receive new equipment thanks to a donation from GreenShield.

Sharman Woynarski, Academic Chair of Dental Programming at Sask Polytech, says GreenShield, a not-for-profit integrated health and benefits organization, donated $210,000 to the program. It will go towards the purchase of dental chairs, an X-ray unit, and digital X-ray sensors, all of which are portable. These will allow further dental care outreach to remote and Indigenous communities.

She adds that 21 students will benefit from the donation and new equipment per year. The students are enrolled in the program at four communities across the province, at the Saskatoon and Prince Albert USask campuses, Regina’s Sask Polytech campus, and Northlands College in La Ronge.

She adds that the National School of Dental Therapy in Prince Albert closed down in 2011, creating an increased demand for the program for the last 12 years.