My Journey to Studying Oral Health Science

There is so much pressure on kids nowadays to know what they want to do when they leave high school. I personally always felt lost and never knew what I wanted to do. Because of this, I have had my fair share of jobs and attended different courses to try and figure it out. Once the airline I worked for went into administration, I applied for some local jobs. My mum was once a manager for Oasis (now part of Bupa) and always advised I went down the dental route. I managed to get a job as a receptionist in a dental practice and soon after I became a trainee dental nurse working in an NHS practice. I worked with oral surgeons, general dentists and hygienists.

By working both on reception and being a nurse, I started to see the patient’s whole journey. I saw how they plucked up the courage to call and make an appointment, how they got themselves through the door and eventually how their confidence grew within themselves. This was abled by the atmosphere the dental team brought and the empathy that was shown. As I worked alongside many hygienists, I grew more of an interest in the importance of oral hygiene. I started to understand that the hygienist and patients worked together to gain understanding, trust and improved oral health. I loved how all patients were treated holistically and all factors were taken in, so every case was different.

Watching how they educated their patients whilst showing them respect and seeing the outcomes was just a dream for me.  As a dental nurse you 100% play a part in this but I just wanted more input, knowledge and responsibility!  I fell in love with the thought of bettering someone’s life and confidence like that! 

A typical week as a student:

The Oral Health Science course is a full-time course which entails a lot of self-directed and practical learning. Due to COVID-19, our first semester was all theory-based. We receive our reading material a week before our online class which allows us to go through and gain some understanding. The reading material also contains some tasks to be completed before the lesson. When in lesson, as a group we all go through the tasks together, asking questions and discussing ways we can remember certain materials.

Although I can find this quite difficult to read and understand all the text, due to my dyslexia, I do find it leads you to do more of your own research and question certain aspects. The university has been very supportive of my dyslexia and have provided me with an education support advisor who I book in with to help me with specific things and give me advice. Coming up to exams the group chat is always popping off with “do you get this?” or “anyone wanna do a revision session?” … So even despite the circumstances we all still video chat and support one another. 

Advice I would give to those wanting to study Oral Health Science:

• Make sure you look at the Universities requirements. Most universities ask for a science A-Level. So if you can study this at A-Level that is amazing! However, a reminder that I didn’t have a Science A-Level and some universities consider Dental Nursing experience!

• Be kind to yourself and don’t give up. If you don’t get onto the course, ask for feedback and come back next time with more knowledge and experience.