Four University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) dental students traveled to San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic, in June with a focus on delivering dental services to underserved children and adults.
As part of a collaboration between UMSOD and the Rotary Club of Baltimore, the students and their faculty supervisors spent over a week in the Dominican Republic, providing dental services to nearly 400 patients. The Rotary Club is a nonprofit dedicated to improving lives locally and globally; additional partners in the effort included local Rotarians and other local health care professionals.
During the trip, UMSOD dental students performed 325 extractions, 274 fluoride treatments, and 256 fillings under faculty supervision, in addition to demonstrating proper oral health techniques to the children and their families.
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
Julie Erhart, a fourth-year dental student, described the experience as “powerful,” noting: “Working in makeshift clinics without standard equipment taught me that excellent care doesn't always depend on technology — it depends on intention, adaptability, and heart.”
For Erhart, making dentures for a husband and wife was especially meaningful.
“When they looked in the mirror for the first time, the wife gave her husband a hug and started crying tears of joy,” she said. “Making dentures for her wasn’t just about replacing missing teeth, it was about restoring her confidence and identity.”
The trip was made possible by Barry W. Rosenthal, DDS ’78, who in 2019 established the Barry W. Rosenthal ’78 DDS Humanitarian Experiences Fund to provide opportunities for students to have international volunteer experiences. (The inaugural trip was scheduled for 2020 but was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic.)
As the students returned home, they carried more than just sharpened clinical skills — they brought back a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper understanding of dentistry’s power to improve people's quality of life.
“Seeing the long-term impact reminded me that service not only transforms lives in the present, but can also inspire the next generation of providers,” Erhart said. “It’s an experience I will remember for the rest of my career.”