Dental Students Tackle Spanish
Second-year dental student Orrin Mackey spoke fluent Spanish during college. But he was surprised upon entering dental school how many Spanish terms he didn’t know.
That’s why when OHSU’s Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA) began offering informal Spanish classes several times a month, Orrin chose to participate.
“I wanted the opportunity to use my Spanish skills and especially further my exposure to dental vocabulary,” said Orrin. “By having this base in the language, I will improve communication with Spanish-speaking patients and enjoy treating them more.”
Cynthia Scheines, D.D.S., Ph.D., assistant professor of periodontology, is a native Argentinian and has been instrumental in teaching the handful of dental students in the Spanish classes, said HSDA Founder and second-year dental student Jim Bell.
“We would not have been able to progress as quickly as we have without the training she has provided,” said Jim.
During Spanish class, the dental students practice clinical Spanish, role-playing such clinic interactions as taking a medical history, asking patients about symptoms they are experiencing, and reviewing treatment plan options.
“I had a basic understanding of the Spanish language before, but let’s face it, “dental Spanish” is not conversational Spanish,” said second-year dental student Matt Harris. “These classes are giving me the basic building blocks to treat Spanish-speaking patients without an interpreter. I would love for a part of my future practice’s patient pool to be Spanish-speaking and these classes are giving me the dental and medical vocabulary to do so.”
Jim was the one who initiated the Spanish language classes when he founded the HSDA a year ago. “I am a firm believer that when speaking Spanish to our Spanish-speaking clients, we should use the proper language and terms of dentistry and explain as needed to clarify to our patients, just as we would in English,” said Jim. “We should sound like dentists whether we’re speaking in English or Spanish.
“For every skill, we are developing in dentistry, we practice, practice, practice before we get to the clinic,” he said. “Why should our Spanish skills be any different?
“I feel much more confident speaking to patients in Spanish regarding dental needs due to the instruction we have had,” said Jim. “I also feel that as we direct ourselves in a professional manner to Spanish-speaking clients in their language, they are more satisfied with the care they receive and can more easily place their care in our trust.”
