Holland College’s Dental Assisting students have some valuable new equipment on which to train, thanks to a gift-in-kind donation valued at $47,000 from well-respected orthodontist Dr. Peter Porter.

When Dr. Porter relocated his practice to the office of Dr. John MacManaman, he decided to donate the furniture and dental equipment from his former office to the Dental Assisting program at Holland College.

“The quality of the graduates from this program has always been excellent, and I have been proud to have employed students of the program. This donation will upgrade equipment and further expand the orthodontic part of the program at the college. This Dental Assisting program is accredited by the Canadian Dental Association and the clinic remains one of the premier training facilities in the country”, said Dr. Porter.

Clinic Coordinator Michelle McKenna said the donated equipment, which includes waiting room furniture, four dental chairs, assistant and operator chairs, cordless curing lights, a wide variety of orthodontic instruments and a state-of-the-art panoramic and cephalometric x-ray machine are valuable additions to the college’s Dental Assisting facilities.

“This definitely broadens the range of equipment upon which the students can train”, she said.

"In an industry where changes occur almost daily, it is difficult to find the opportunity and funds to upgrade expensive dental equipment on an on-going basis.  This donation will not only provide the students with access to modern equipment such as the panoramic x-ray unit, it will allow the Dental Assisting program to expand its clinic by incorporating another fully functional dental operatory and additional equipment in the dental lab,” she said.

Holland College President Brian McMillan expressed his appreciation of Dr. Porter’s generous donation.

“It is thoughtful leadership gifts such as Dr. Porter’s which enable our graduates to secure employment and make significant contributions in their places of employment. Thanks to the support of our community partners, Holland College is able to provide state-of-the-art learning experiences,” he said.