From Toronto to Niigata: Dental student exchange
Technology, respect and efficiency: those were just some of the things DDS4 student Kunyuan Yang and DDS3 student Wenxin Miao learned about during a two-week study program at Niigata University’s Faculty of Dentistry in March.
During the fully funded program — the students’ flights, accommodation, local transportation and food were covered, mostly by U of T Dentistry — these two students joined 37 others from around the world to attend lectures, visit labs and check out clinics. Niigata is situated on the west coast of the country’s main island in a region northeast of Mount Fuji known for mountains, skiing and sake.
The exchange allowed students to gain credit for DEN492, Dental Outreach Global Services. Yang and Miao agreed that the most interesting thing they took in was the school’s use of virtual reality to teach preclinical skills.
“We did a cavity prep, a crown prep and little bit of endo access opening. It was very cool,” says Miao of the 3D glasses and handpiece they used to practice hands-on skills. “It’s also environmentally friendly because you're not actually using any material.”
Professors at Niigata spoke often about their own research during lectures, and they focused many projects on sake, which is made locally. “It’s a way of promoting their culture through research,” says Miao.
The experience gave the students a sense of how dentistry is taught and practised in Japan, but in other places, too.
“They gained knowledge of how a dental program can work differently, academically, culturally, and technologically. All of this brings back more mature students,” says Anuradha Prakki, associate professor in the Faculty and interim associate dean of undergraduate education.
“This helps our school better prepare students for future jobs, career challenges, and strengthens our international relationships and reputation.”
The program stems from a memorandum of understanding signed by U of T Dentistry and Niigata University in 2018. When Niigata reached out last fall with plans for the study program, Prakki recalls the Faculty leadership team being very excited, as few service rotations had yet to resume.
The call for applications late last fall caught Miao’s eye. “I knew right away I had to apply. Even though the deadline was during exams, I knew I had to go,” she says. Miao went to Japan when she was 12 and loved it.
“The Japanese are known for being very advanced in dentistry,” she adds, and got her application ready between study sessions. “I’m always pro experience.”
Yang wanted to go as soon as she saw the posting. “These were my last few months at U of T. I won’t get this exchange opportunity again.” Yang and her DDS4 classmates missed out on many opportunities to do service rotations or gain extra clinical experience on their own time due to pandemic closures.
The busy two weeks in Niigata flew by, with the two visitors loving the rich experience that proved a highlight of their education.
“I think it’s just a good way to appreciate another culture,” says Yang of doing such an exchange. “Oral health is different across the world. It means different things to different people.”
Written by Diane Peters
Photo credit: Wenxin Miao and Kunyuan Yang