Access For All Dentistry

A special week in Lac La Biche has come to a bittersweet end. Thank you to the Métis Nation of Alberta, the community, the University of Alberta, our preceptors, our donors and all the students involved. This was our first trip in Alberta but it certainly won't be the last. Stay tuned for more photos and details from our week!

Walter and Reid were recognized for their hard work and dedication with Access for All Dentistry in the University of Alberta Graduate Spotlight. Congrats to all the graduates from across Canada. We hope you go out and make an impact in your communities and beyond.

DDS graduates start non-profit organization Access for All Dentistry students Reid Boulet and Walter Junikiewicz ('21 DDS) roots are planted in Northern Alberta. Knowing that access to care, whether medical or dental, can be very limited for patients living in these areas – the two decided to help break these barriers.

Happy Friday everyone!
Reid and Walter spent another week in the Yukon and are even more impressed with the wonderful programs in place than they were last time! There were over 40 children treated, and they cannot wait to go back to visit this beautiful part of our country! Again, a massive thank you to everyone who has supported this incredible initiative and in particular Dr. Blaine and Trudy AuCoin. We are so grateful!

Although this 11th annual charity ball will look a little different than other years, we are so happy that our smart, hard-working friends at the DSA came up with a Covid19 friendly solution! Come join us for a pizza and movie night in support of a wonderful cause. Please like and share this page to help us make this event a success!

Access for All Dentistry has teamed up with the Métis Nation of Alberta to help provide dental care to patients in need throughout Alberta. This article published by the University of Alberta explains the importance of providing care to the Métis people in our communities.

We are very excited about our partnership and the opportunity to provide care to those in need.

U of A dentistry school partners with Métis Nation of Alberta to improve access to oral health care Thanks to a partnership between the University of Alberta’s School of Dentistry and the Métis Nation of Alberta, students are learning about Métis culture while providing checkups, dentures and emergency services to people who may have avoided the dentist due to cost, distance or fear.

Walter and Reid had an amazing time and met tons of wonderful people on their first trip to Whitehorse! There were over 300 dental exams completed and huge milestones were made towards breaking the barrier towards access to care. The Yukon Children's Dental Program is outstanding and made the experience seamless. This program, ran by the Yukon government, provides free care to elementary students and has dental chairs situated within schools. It was inspiring to see how well the preventative measures that this program has implemented are working and how the typical dental fear and anxiety that many children have was negligible. We couldn't be happier! Again, a HUGE thanks to Dr. Trudy and Dr. Blaine Aucoin!

Finished our first day in Whitehorse! We saw almost 100 children and can’t wait to see even more tomorrow! Big thanks to Dr. Blaine and Trudy Aucoin for donating their time, skills, and experience in making this initiative a reality!!

We have some exciting news! After months of negotiations with various supply companies across Canada, Patterson Dental has donated and lent all of these supplies to the Access For All Dentistry initiative! We are so grateful and cannot wait to put them to good use!

Due to Covid, we are hopeful that the missions will begin in early spring of the new year!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Despite the hardships and turmoil everyone has faced with the pandemic, there is still so much to be thankful for. We are thankful for the receptiveness and generosity we have seen while navigating the early steps of this initiative and the willingness of so many around to help. We hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and time they have with friends, family, and loved ones! 🍁

There are many communities, particularly in Northern areas of Canada that are in dire need of dental care. Access For All Dentistry was created to improve access to care in these under-served areas and make oral health care more accessible. This initiative was created by Walter Junikiewicz and Reid Boulet, 4th year dental students at the University of Alberta, who recognized the need for access to dental care in remote areas throughout Canada and wanted to make a difference. In addition to providing dental care and improving the quality of life of the individuals who do not have direct access, it will help dental students and dental professionals gain a better understanding of Indigenous cultures, leading to stronger inter-personal relationships in the future. If you would like to donate dental supplies, contribute monetarily, or if you have any questions about the initiative please feel free to email us ([email protected]) or private message us. Please like our page to follow along and hear updates about how the initiative is progressing.