CU Dental 2018 - 18

CU Dental Students
Treat Underserved in
ACTS Program

Fourth Year Students Gain Experience and Give Back
KATHLEEN BOHLAND UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

W

hen Matthew Iritani enters a
dental office, it feels like home.
As a boy, Iritani spent hours
watching his father, Mark Iritani, DDS, an
orthodontist, work with patients. His mother,
Patra Watana, DMD, a pediatric dentist,
would come to his elementary school
to teach the children about oral health.
"I always knew I wanted to grow up
to be like mom and dad and go into the
profession," says Iritani, 25, a fourth-year
student at the CU School of Dental Medicine.
Today, Iritani is closer to his dream.
Through the CU School of Dental
Medicine's Advanced Clinical Training
& Service (ACTS) program, he is able to
have hands-on experience at the Salud
Family Health Centers Sterling clinic.

Service to Colorado Communities
Initiated in 1986, the ACTS program was
one of the first programs of its kind and
has become a national model for service
learning programs designed to integrate
students into underserved communities.
ACTS provides hands-on experiences
for fourth-year dental students as they
practice in clinics around the state of
Colorado. The number of days spent in the
community are among the highest in the
nation, giving our students the expertise,
confidence and skills to immediately
improve lives once they graduate.

This year, each of the 76 fourth-year
dental students will rotate through 4-5
of the 35 ACTS partner sites, a mixture
of urban and rural statewide. More than
70 community dentists, many (46%) of
whom are CU alumni and also participated
in the ACTS program, have faculty
appointments as preceptors and oversee
the students during their ACTS rotation.
"All of the patients the students see are
underserved in some way and have barriers
accessing dental care," says Tamara
Tobey, DDS, Director of the ACTS program
and an Associate Professor/Clinical Track.
Students appreciate the challenge,
she says.
"Our students say it's one of the
best experiences during dental school,
it's valuable for their training and treating
these patients is very worthwhile," says
Tobey, adding that prospective dental
students often talk about ACTS as a
reason they are interested in attending
the CU School of Dental Medicine.
Tobey, a 1992 CU School of
Dental Medicine graduate, was a
student in the program and also a
preceptor for more than 20 years.
"It's always been our goal to expose
students to community health centers
and diverse populations," she says. "Our
students realize they really are making
a difference in those patients' lives
and they might be drawn to working
in community health practice as a

career. We want to make sure they're
exposed to all options so they can make
choices that are meaningful for them."

From Student to Teacher
Petros Yoon, DDS, Dental Director at the
Salud Family Health Centers Sterling clinic,
graduated from the CU School of Dental
Medicine in 2015. He now shares his
knowledge and experience as a preceptor.
"As an ACTS preceptor, I want to guide
the students and help advance their clinical
skills and give them practical, real-world
experience," Yoon says. Each student
assigned to the Salud Sterling clinic works
with Yoon for four weeks, with a two-week
break in between so they can go back to
the dental school to care for their patients
and meet other school requirements.
Sterling is a small town in comparison
to Denver; it has a population of
about 14,000 people. It's a hub for
area residents to come for medical
and dental services. Some patients
drive 60 miles for their appointments.

Initiated in 1986, the ACTS program was one of the first programs of its kind and has
become a national model for service learning programs designed to integrate students
into underserved communities.
18

CU DENTAL 2018



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CU Dental 2018

Tablet of Contents
CU Dental 2018 - Cover1
CU Dental 2018 - Cover2
CU Dental 2018 - Tablet of Contents
CU Dental 2018 - 2
CU Dental 2018 - 3
CU Dental 2018 - 4
CU Dental 2018 - 5
CU Dental 2018 - 6
CU Dental 2018 - 7
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CU Dental 2018 - Cover3
CU Dental 2018 - Cover4
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