U of A dental school receives $10 million donation from alumnus

After graduating from the University of Alberta’s dental school 64 years ago, Mike Petryk has gifted the school a $10 million donation. His contribution was commemorated on September 10 with the renaming of the U of A dental school to the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry. Petryk worked as a dentist for over 40 years.

Paul Major is a professor and chair for the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry. He also attended the commemoration ceremony to rename the dental school. Major thinks Petryk’s legacy “certainly does align very well with the value and missions of the school.”

“Petryk is a child of [an] immigrant family to Alberta. [The] first of the family to ever go to university and [he] really set forward the legacy for the value of hard work,” Major said. 

Additionally, Petryk’s focus on his patients aligns with the “patient-centred care treatment model at the university,” according to Major. 

$10 million donation will be used to serve those with less access to dental care

According to Major, the $10 million donation will go towards serving those who have less access to dental care.

The Mike Petryk School of Dentistry currently has “a program where we bus children in from inner-city schools and provide pro-bono care.” Pro-bono means that these services are provided free of charge.

The School of Dentistry’s partnerships with the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Boyle McCauley Health Centre are some of the potential programs these funds would enhance and support, Major said.

The funds would also “help with supporting researchers as well as students that are in financial need. It’s got quite a wide range of potential uses,” Major said.

On a global scale, Canada does well in oral health care. This is due to its recognition as an important part of overall health, Major said.

According to the latest report from the Canadian Dental Association, released in 2017, 75 per cent of Canadians have at least one dental appointment yearly. Additionally, “84 per cent of Canadians believe they have good or excellent oral health.” The report outlines room for improvement with reaching vulnerable populations such as seniors and children.

“We’ve reached a bit of a turning point in terms of the overall recognition of oral health care,” Major said. In addition to Canada’s large investments in oral health care, “there’s also quite a push right now at the federal level to enhance oral health care research as well.”

The $10 million donation to the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry by the Petryk family highlights the value that the family places on oral health as well as access for underserved groups, Major said. 

Major said Petryk is an “excellent role model in terms of what can be achieved through dedication and hard work and a servant attitude.”