The Department of Community Dentistry provides the platform for community engagement (CE) projects within the School of Dentistry. These projects align with the UP 2025 strategic goals 4 and 5, focusing on integrating research into teaching and learning, and embedding CE into academia. The department oversees all outreach activities in the School of Dentistry and has been a part of the curriculum for the Dental and Oral Hygiene programs since the schools' inception.

The department comprises three community Dentistry Specialists, two Registrars, one Dentist, two full-time, and three part-time Oral Hygienists. All staff members actively participate in CE projects, undertaking various roles including coordination, administration, and supervision. They are essential in planning, maintaining, and ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of the CE projects.

The CE projects aim to expose students to underprivileged communities, provide quality dental care in Primary Health Care (PHC) settings, ensure access to dental services for these communities, and prepare students for their year-long community service program.

The Department operates two Mobile Dental Units (MDUs), one stationed at Daspoort Polyclinic and the other at a selected primary school in an underprivileged community. These fully functional MDUs enable students to provide a range of basic dental services as required by the community. Students also spend time at a Primary Health Care facility and on the Phelophepa Train, with all these activities being planned, administered, and supervised by the Department of Community Dentistry.

Students are required to submit a portfolio file on their CE programs, reflecting on the sites visited, the types of services rendered, and patient demographics. During school visits, they conduct a situational analysis of the school infrastructure, student-to-teacher ratios, types of food sold at tuckshops and by vendors around the school, and the nature of food provided in the school feeding scheme, where applicable. The team reports quarterly to the school principal and teachers, providing insights into challenges and positive findings, and suggesting recommendations, such as advocating for the sale of nutritious and healthy food items to improve general and oral health.

The department offers four modules focused on CE activities to dental and oral hygiene students. The first-year module (POH 170) for dental students includes outreach visits to primary schools in the Pretoria area, where they provide oral and general health education and promotion. They also raise awareness on issues like drug abuse, bullying, teenage pregnancy and smoking. In groups, students prepare topics, visit schools, conduct situational analyses, and present their programs.

The second-year oral hygiene (OH) students (GAP 271) visit various outreach sites to provide oral and general health education, awareness, and promotional messages. Both final year dental (POH 570) and OH (POH 371) students are extensively involved in CE projects, performing oral health screenings and examinations, providing oral hygiene education, nutritional information for pregnant mothers and mothers of young children, and offering preventive (brushing programs, fluoride treatments, fissure sealants) and curative services (teeth cleaning, fillings, extractions). Patients requiring complicated or specialised dental care are referred to the nearest dental facility or the Pretoria Oral and Dental Hospital.

The dental and OH students collaborate during these projects, preparing them for multidisciplinary teamwork and fostering respect between different oral health cadres. OH students also work with other disciplines at the Daspoort polyclinic, highlighting the importance of interprofessional collaboration.

Additionally, the Department has adopted four primary schools in rural areas around Pretoria, providing oral health awareness, promotional messages, and supplies like toothpaste and toothbrushes.

The Department actively participates in World Oral Health Day and South African Oral Health month events, offering oral health services to sites not usually included in regular outreach projects. It also provides oral health workshops for learners, teachers and other organisations upon request, and educates teachers about promoting regular oral hygiene in schools.

The department has conducted various research projects on the impact and perceptions of CE activities among students, the community, and the university. These findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented both locally and internationally. A key pillar in ensuring the sustainability of these CE projects is support from communities, schools, and private stakeholders like Colgate and Glaxo-Smith Kline (GSK). The Department continuously engages with these stakeholders to ensure the financial viability and sustainability of its CE activities.

The outreach projects have enhanced the students' social and civil responsibilities. We are grateful to the students and communities for allowing us into their lives and environments. We believe in creating mutually beneficial outcomes for students, the university, and the communities we serve. Being selected as the winners of the Faculty of Health Sciences CE Award for 2023 is both a humbling and an honourable achievement. We are committed to continuing our provision of high-quality preventive and curative dental services to rural and underprivileged communities.

We acknowledge the contributions of the following people in the Department of Community Dentistry who have always assisted with the CE activities: Ms Esme Schoeman, Ms Candida Kruger and Mr Thabang Maluleka.