MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) – Dental and dental hygiene students at West Virginia University participate in the Rural Rotation Program before graduating.

It allows them to get hands-on experience at a privately owned practice in West Virginia and cite job experience on a resume.

“The Rural Rotation Program is one of the cornerstone programs of the School of Dentistry experience,” said Dr. Valerie Perrine, the associate dean of student affairs, community health, and outreach. “A lot of incoming students look forward to that from their freshman year on.”

It’s an experience that students say helps them feel well-prepared for the real world.

“I’ve done a lot of surgical extractions here,” says Zach Lynn, a WVU School of Dentistry student. “At the school, I didn’t really quite feel like I had the confidence to try to tackle those. Here, I’ve gotten so much practice with them, I feel a lot better, it’s just started something I’ve actually started to enjoy.”

Dr. Perrine says students do everything from pediatric dentistry to dentures.

The program is celebrating its 30th anniversary, which Dr. Perrine says is significant because a remarkable number of patients have been helped over the years.

“This is 30 years that our students have been going out into these private practices and communities and providing dental care,” said Dr. Perrine. “It’s a remarkable amount of patients that they’ve touched, it’s a remarkable amount of experiences that they’ve been able to have that are outside of the School of Dentistry setting, and it’s a wonderful relationship builder with communities in West Virginia.”

The program also allows students to consider practicing in West Virginia if they weren’t considering it already.

Students can be placed at dental practices throughout the state.

The program was founded by Dr. Richard Meckstroth in 1991, and the first class participated in the 1992-1993 school year.

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