Dental College of Georgia celebrates 26th annual Impressions Day

Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia has been bustling recently with exciting events and happenings, with the most recent one being its 26th annual Impressions Day program.

Impressions Day, which was the first event of its kind in the nation when it first started, allows students interested in dental careers the opportunity to visit campus and participate in mock interviews, hands-on activities and a question-and-answer panel. This year, 200 students took part in the event organized by the DCG chapter of the Student National Dental Association, which supports minority students.

Aliyah Hill, a third-year dental student at DCG and the president of the AU chapter of SNDA, recalled her own experience attending Impressions Day before enrolling at the college.

“It was the first time I held a handpiece and the first time I prepared a tooth. It helped me to really experience what it feels like to be a dental student,” Hill said. “And while we used models and not people, I knew these experiences would translate to patient care someday. At the time, I was just looking forward to dental school. Now, I am treating my own patients in the junior clinic.”

A group of male and female young adults gather in a training classroom for dental students. Some stand, and some sit at desks with computer monitors and dental exam lights. — One of the goals of the event is to encourage first-generation or underrepresented students to join the dental field. [Stacey Hudson/Augusta University]

Hill was inspired to attend DCG and join SNDA after feeling a sense of community from that first Impressions Day she attended.

“This feels like a full-circle moment,” she said.

The event is in high demand with registration usually filling up within 48 to 72 hours – and for good reason.

On top of being surrounded by people interested in the dental profession, students who attended were able to get a better feel for the occupation by practicing it themselves. They took impressions of dental molds and used electric handpieces to target potential cavities in the molds.

A young man sits at a desk and uses a dental pick on a piece of plaster to practice checking for cavities. Other young men and women do the same in the background. — Attendees took impressions of dental molds and used electric and manual handpieces to target potential cavities in the molds. [Stacey Hudson/Augusta University]

“It’s a day to make an impression on interested students, but impressions are an important part of patient care. We make a model of the patient’s mouth that will help us plan treatment and visualize challenges,” said Kaitlyn Collins, a second-year dental student at DCG and the social chair of SNDA.

While the event is a great way for potential DCG students to see if dentistry or the Dental College is the right fit for them, it also encourages first-generation or underrepresented students to join the field.

Minority groups make up 32% of dentists in the United States, according to the American Dental Association.

This is an issue the college aims to address through outreach programs like Impressions Day, along with giving students a taste of dental school and the sense of community it provides.

“I would say be resilient – that would be my biggest piece of advice for dental school,” Hill said. “Understanding that it will be hard and being prepared to embrace that is important. Dental school is rigorous, dental school is fast-paced and there are nights where you don’t get much sleep. So it’s about how you pivot.”