Mandy McGill, RDHP

 What makes me love dental hygiene? 

The moments that inspire me 

What inspires me most as a dental hygienist is the people I meet along the way and the moments when individuals feel supported and motivated to care for their oral health, whether in a clinical setting or within the community. I am inspired when patients begin to understand how daily habits and preventive care can positively influence their health and quality of life. 

Some of the most meaningful moments happen during patient care appointments. When preventive conversations turn into action beyond the appointment, and when patients return showing progress. It reinforces the value of education, trust, and continuity of care. 

I am equally inspired by prevention in community health settings. When schools adopt and embrace oral health programs and daily toothbrushing routines, prevention becomes part of children's everyday lives. Separately, seeing families carry oral health knowledge forward, when parents and caregivers apply what they have learned within their households. 

I am especially inspired when local individuals grow into oral health champions. Mentoring community members, educators, and health workers and watching them confidently share knowledge, lead programs, and support others is deeply rewarding. These moments reflect true sustainability, when oral health education is owned locally and carried forward through empowered individuals. 

A memorable patient interaction 

One of the most meaningful patient interactions in my career involved a two-year-old child referred by a public health nurse due to severe early childhood caries. He was in pain, his oral condition affected his ability to eat, and he was not thriving. The child had recently been placed in foster care, and the instability surrounding his circumstances made access to timely dental care even more complex. 

Supporting this child required extensive coordination and advocacy across multiple systems. I provided immediate preventive care and caregiver education, and communicated closely with the assigned social worker, foster parent, dental providers, and hospital staff. I also worked diligently to secure funding through multiple programs to remove financial and systemic barriers, ensuring treatment could proceed without delay. Because his needs exceeded what could be managed in a traditional dental office, I facilitated referrals for hospital-based dental care. 

What stayed with me most was how many people needed to come together to support one small child, and how easily he could have been overlooked without advocacy. 

Following treatment and reunification with his family, I continued to see the child regularly for preventive care. Watching his comfort, confidence, and well-being return was deeply meaningful. Maintaining continuity of care allowed me to support the child and family as healthy routines were established and reinforced. 

This experience reinforced the vital role dental hygienists play. Through advocacy, communication, and prevention, we help ensure that vulnerable children are seen, supported, and given the opportunity to grow and thrive. 

What keeps me inspired and excited in my career 

What keeps me inspired and excited in my career is the opportunity to identify unmet needs in oral health education and respond by building prevention-focused solutions. Dental hygiene allows me to combine creativity, leadership, and collaboration to embed oral health into systems that support meaningful impact. 

I founded the World Health Dental Outreach Association to improve access to oral health education, prevention resources, and community-based programming. Through this work, I design initiatives that prioritize education, mentorship, and sustainability, supporting students, professionals, and communities in carrying oral health knowledge forward in practical and culturally respectful ways. 

Alongside this work, I serve as Director of Educational Outreach for the World Health Dental Organization and provide oral health outreach services for nonprofit organizations, including Africa Mission Services and the Olmalaika Trust. Through these roles, I develop and support school-based and maternal oral health programs integrated into healthcare and education systems. 

Dental hygiene continues to excite me because it is a profession where leadership, innovation, equity, and cultural humility intersect to drive meaningful impact.