But that didn’t matter. The program is designed to provide dentistry students with plenty of research experience.

B.Sc. (Dent.) students work on their own studies for two summers following their first and second years of the four-year doctor of dental medicine degree.

After her first summer, Austin is now well-versed in how to conduct research.

“You never know what your limitations and skills are unless you actually try something. I always tell myself, ‘You can do hard things.’ The program sounded hard, but once I started learning and developing my research skills, it didn’t feel so hard anymore,” said Austin, a second-year dental student.

She spent the summer studying gene expression in taste receptors to observe whether there are differences in people with cancer, those with pre-cancerous lesions and those without cancer.

Austin is looking for potential biomarkers, which she said could contribute to the development of new oral cancer treatments or be used as a sign that a patient with pre-cancerous lesions needs treatment before it becomes cancerous.

UM Today sat down with Austin to learn about her experience as a B.Sc. (Dent.) student at UM.

Why did you enroll in the B.Sc. (Dent.) program?

I remember when the program was introduced to us, it sounded interesting. They highlighted it as something very valuable if you wanted to do a graduate specialty program, such as prosthodontics, periodontics or pediatrics after dental school. They often look to see if you’ve done research.

When February rolled around and I needed to make a decision, I thought, “I’ve never done research before, let’s try this out.” I thought I might as well jump into a project that has lots of people around who can help and lots for me to learn.

What have you learned as a B.Sc. (Dent.) student?

It’s a lot of paper reading. When I say it’s a lot of paper reading, it felt daunting at first, but it was something I had to do in order to then make informed choices regarding my project. One of the most valuable and interesting things I’ve learned is that I have control over what I’m doing with my project.

I also learned a lot of valuable skills when it comes to lab work. I had great lab mentors and lab coordinators who helped me learn those skills.

Learning how to organize and plan something yourself is such a great and valuable skill as well.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about enrolling in the B.Sc. (Dent.) program?

I think it’s important for dental students to look for a topic they’re very interested in. Prior to dentistry, I very much liked biochemistry, so going into a project that’s part of the oral biology department seemed fitting.

I think it’s also good to look into projects that give back to the community or are related to public health. There’s so much value in learning in a lab and conducting research versus only learning in a simulation lab or a lecture hall.

The other advice would be to talk to supervisors. Involve yourself with people whose research you are interested in and ask around about different projects before you pick which one you want to do.

Rukh just finished her first summer of the bachelor of science in dentistry (B.Sc. (Dent.) program at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences. The program provides dental students with the opportunity to work full-time as researchers during the summers following their first and second years of the four-year doctor of dental medicine degree.

Rukh is studying oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs), conditions that precede the onset of cancers in the mouth. She is examining how diet and lifestyle choices can alter the microbiome in the mouth and how this alteration affects gene expression, which can lead to OPMDs.

“OPMDs are non-cancerous, but they have a high potential to become cancerous. Diagnosing a patient with OPMDs leads to a much better prognosis rate compared with full-blown malignancies,” said Rukh, a second-year dental student.

“The goal of the study is to identify high-risk Manitoban populations for targeted oral cancer prevention strategies through diet and microbiome-based interventions.”

Rukh conducted patient screenings for the study at two Winnipeg clinics under the guidance of her supervisors, Dr. Anil Menon, division head of community dentistry and public health, and assistant professor of preventive dental science, and Dr. Vimi Mutalik, head of the division of oral diagnosis, and associate professor of dental diagnostic and surgical sciences.

UM Today sat down with Rukh to learn about her experience as a B.Sc. (Dent.) student at UM.

What have you learned as a B.Sc. (Dent.) student?

One of the most beneficial aspects of the program has been the opportunity to experience being in clinic early on. Normally, when you’re in your first year of dentistry, you’re not seeing patients. You don’t see patients until the second term of your second year.

Since I was working on my B.Sc. (Dent.) project, I got to see patients during the screenings, and I got to observe the interaction between dentists and their patients. I feel like it’s given me a groundwork of skills for when I get to see patients next term. I learned how important communication is with patients.

Why is it important for dental students to gain hands-on research experience?

The program enhances our knowledge. We can learn something in the classroom, but then if we do a B.Sc. (Dent.) and conduct research, we gain a greater depth of what we’re learning in our classes.

I feel that’s why it’s really beneficial. I know it’s impacted me as a student because now when I’m in the class and I’m learning, I’ve seen it in real life, and I’m like, “OK, I can put two and two together.” It’s just an overall better learning experience. I feel like it goes hand in hand.

What is something about research you didn’t know about until you took part in this program?

I learned that every patient is going to be different. As dentists, we must be very adaptable in how we interact with every single patient – whether it’s kids, adults or elderly patients.

I feel like that adaptability is really important as a dentist. By observing dentists over the summer, I really learned the skill of how to talk to different types of people.

Has the B.Sc. (Dent.) experience increased your interest in conducting research after dental school?

Yes, I definitely want to be involved in some sort of research because it’s just a good way to give back.

There’s so much more research that needs to be done, and we need more people doing it. There’s so much we don’t know about oral cancer, and even within dentistry, so after I graduate I would love to take part in it in any way I can.