CYSCA-Supported Preventive Dentistry Program Off to a Running Start

By N. Kalajian

A new Preventive Dentistry Program, embraced by students at the Yerevan State Medical University’s Therapeutic and Family Dentistry Department, has had a busy and productive year according to Karina Matevosyan, MA, RDH, an accomplished and experienced clinician. She worked for years at a dental practice in Cambridge, Mass., and relocated to Yerevan to spearhead the new project and instruct non-surgical periodontology to future dentists. This initiative is supported with funding from Greater Boston area donors, and a grant from the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA); Matevosyan is a member of the Board of Directors of CYSCA.

Last year, generous donors and CYSCA raised funds to procure sets of dental instruments for the university students to complete the practical component of their studies. After going through the shipping and customs process, all of the donated dental equipment for use in the university program was formally received in a special ceremony on Feb. 4, 2015. Among the guests was David Gevorkyan, director of foreign relations in the Mayor’s Office at Yerevan City Hall. The university website covered the special event hosted by Michael Narimamyan, the university rector, and Lazar Yessayan, dean of the Dental Department and chief dentist of Armenia.

During this past year, a talk show on Channel 2 television in Yerevan featured Matevosyan and Dr. Majinyan, a dentist. The program educated the public on proper oral care and credit was given to CYSCA and donors for their contributions to this new initiative.

Matevosyan was assigned to teach the ordinators, post-graduate students, from the Therapeutic and Family Stomatology Department. She instructed 10 students (4 men and 6 women) from different regions of Armenia, who plan to practice what they learned back in their home regions.

The first semester consisted of strictly theoretical classes. “I worked hard to squeeze a five-year program into one semester, by choosing to teach only material unknown to the students, for example marketing, ergonomics, and doctor-patient relationships. Students also completed two semester-end projects: first, they had to familiarize themselves, and make a presentation, on locally available dental merchandise; and second, visit a grade school or kindergarten and educate the children on proper oral hygiene and oral diseases,” reported Matevosyan.

The practical application of dental hygiene was the main focus of the second semester. Using a mannequin, the students were introduced to all dental hygiene instruments and skills.

Throughout both semesters, teachers and professors from the other dental departments in the university showed an interest in preventive dentistry. During the second semester, she began to instruct eight other professors on proper scaling techniques.

By the end of second semester, the students were able to practice on each other. “Practicing on each other and working on a mannequin was new to these students,” shared Matevosyan. “Usually, the students would observe a professor working with a patient and rarely got the chance to actually practice their skills. As a result, most of them graduate without any actual practice. So these new ‘practice’ sessions gave them the experience that will benefit them and their future practice.” In fact, a mannequin is so essential that CYSCA will be procuring a second one that will give even more students’ further opportunities for practice.

The 2015 fall semester starts this September. The Dental Department has decided that Matevosyan should deliver her lectures on hygiene theory during the third, fourth, and fifth years of the program so that the students can focus on practicing skills during their last year. The students that Matevosyan worked with this past year will finally have the chance to practice on real patients during the fall semester, before they graduate in December.

“I am very happy and proud of this group of students. They will graduate with the proper knowledge and skills to practice non-surgical periodontology,” shared their enthusiastic instructor. Hired as a foreign specialist, Matevosyan’s contract can be renewed every year, but she hopes to find a local professor in Armenia to teach the courses should she return to the United States in the future.

To find out more about this ground-breaking program, or to make donations, contact CYSCA by e-mailing info@cysca.org or writing to P.O. Box 382591, Cambridge, MA 02238.