Global Experience: Dental Hygiene in the Dominican Republic
Learning Beyond the Classroom
In GLB313: Dental Hygiene in the Dominican Republic, you will be offered a unique opportunity to provide oral healthcare services to underserved communities. You will gain a hands-on clinical experience in a global context while fostering cultural humility and enhancing professional skills. In this course, you will work collaboratively with local partners and patients by not only contributing to improving oral health outcomes but also growing as a compassionate, globally minded healthcare provider.
How does this work?
Each day in the Dominican Republic, students will visit different remote communities where we provide preventative dental hygiene services, primarily to school-age children.
Students stay at a guest house that is centrally located among the communities served. Meals are provided. Costs include tuition, flight, and accommodations.
Spring Break 2026
Travel Highlights
Provide preventive dental hygiene services to rural communities in the Dominican Republic.
Experienced Faculty
Meet Your Faculty Guides
Rhonda J. Seebold, a part-time dental hygiene instructor, has been teaching this global course since 2008. The first seven years were in Nicaragua, but she has been traveling to the Dominican Republic since 2016. Patricia A. Durand, also a part-time dental hygiene instructor, has been chaperoning the trip since 2018.
Seebold aims to see students take the theoretical knowledge they have learned and apply it to real-life situations. She wants them not just to learn about barriers to care and how poverty impacts dental and overall health, but to experience it firsthand. She also hopes to inspire them to lead lives of service, not only through short-term missions but also by finding ways to serve in their own communities. Durand hopes students will experience and gain a new perspective on a different culture in a developing country.
Patricia Durand and Rhonda Seebold
Part-Time Instructors, Dental Hygiene
Global Experiences
Addison J. Lesher's academic studies had introduced her to the concept of global poverty, but witnessing it firsthand brought a new depth of understanding. Reflecting on her experience serving in a remote village, she shared the stark contrast between learning about need and living it—even briefly.
“Before the trip, I would have said the hardest parts were the heat, rough bathroom conditions, or brushing with bottled water. The mountain hike itself was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But after the trip, I found the real challenge was dealing with the guilt of having so much. Flying back to air-conditioning, safe water, and flushing toilets felt like an unimaginable luxury. Now, I try to live with more gratitude—and I’m already thinking about how I can return and do more for others.”
Regan Kline Ledebohm from Camp Hill, PA, reflected on the physical and emotional challenges faced by those in underserved areas, particularly the difficult journey many endure to access basic care. Experiencing this firsthand gave her a deeper understanding of barriers to healthcare. She was profoundly moved not only by the group's ability to help but also by the lasting impact the local community had on her.
Contact
Interested?
For more information about the course, contact Rhonda Seebold, the faculty guide for this Global Experience.
Questions?
For general questions about Global Experiences, such as study-away programs and student exchanges at Penn College, contact Daniel Clasby, Assistant Dean of Academic Operations.