As a dentistry student in his home country of Pakistan, Abbas Jessani saw the cost of unequal care and knew he wanted to change it.

“I saw there was a big disparity in that part of the world when it comes to access to medical and dental care.”

Determined to address those gaps, he moved to Canada to pursue postgraduate degrees in public health dentistry at the University of British Columbia. He expected a different reality. Instead, he encountered a different system — with familiar barriers.

“What was fascinating to experience is that in a lot of ways, Canada was not much different when it came to dental care.”

He saw many people were blocked from dental care because they couldn’t afford it. But the problem was about more than just money.

“Certain populations in our own backyard feel stigmatized and judged because of where they're coming from, if they are refugees or they're asylum seekers, if they are people of colour, if they belong to gender minorities. Or they don’t feel comfortable accessing health care and dentistry because of prior experiences with health-care systems and the mistrust they have, based on those experiences.”

So Abbas decided to focus his career on making dentistry accessible to marginalized communities.

Since joining Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in 2020, Abbas has led the Community Service Learning (CSL) program. It provides undergraduate dental students with hands-on experience through placements at community sites and low-cost primary clinics throughout southwestern Ontario.  

The students treat a wide range of patients, with a focus on equity-seeking groups, including people living with HIV, high-risk youth facing addiction and housing challenges, refugees and newcomers to Canada, Indigenous Peoples and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Abbas says the impact is delivered in two important ways.  

“Students are learning to provide dental treatment in a hands-on, real-life setting and understanding the importance of interdisciplinary care, since they work with teams that include physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals.”

He adds that the students learn how to care not for patients, but for people.  

“We call it ‘person-centred care.’ Many of the people we treat have difficult, complex lives. We want to consider their personal stories, trauma and cultural safety, all of which can influence oral health and treatment. We emphasize personalized care that works best for the individual.”

For the people receiving dental treatment, Abbas says the goal is to reduce the barriers that have kept them from receiving dental care and to support them in living healthier, fuller lives.

He recalls one individual treated by the students who was in urgent need of dental care. “The person said they were happy for the pandemic because they could wear a mask and not have to show their teeth to anyone.”  

And there was a woman with severe inflammation in her mouth that made it painful to eat and led to extreme weight loss.  

“We were able to treat the problem and restore her teeth. That had a very positive impact on her overall wellbeing.”

Abbas says the CSL program will be able to help many more people, thanks to a grant of $2.9 million from Health Canada. And he is proud of the small changes the students are making for the people they serve.  

“We are empowering people to smile again, to be able to interact with friends and go for a job interview because now they’re not missing their front teeth. They’re able to function at work again because they’re not in pain. We believe these small changes can have a big impact on everyday life.”