VU Student Miglė Pekarskaitė: “We Feel Special Being Freshmen During the Pandemic”

February 9 marks the International Day of Dentists, a reminder of the need to take care of oral health and hygiene. Current and future dentists, such as Miglė Pekarskaitė, a first-year dental student at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University (VU) also mark this day as a professional holiday. When talking about dentistry and studies at VU, the student is glad that the chosen profession and study programme are very popular and competitive.

The origin of the International Day of Dentists

“In these difficult times for the whole world, when our smiles are mostly hidden under protective masks, it is still very important to pay attention to your oral health. The viruses will sooner or later be defeated, and we will be able to smile broadly at each other again,” says the future dentist, urging us not to forget about daily dental care and oral disease prevention.

M. Pekarskaitė says that the tradition of celebrating the International Day of Dentists all over the world on the day of St. Apollonia’s day, the patron saint of dentists, stemmed from cruel historical events. According to the legend, St. Apollonia lived in the 3rd century in Alexandria (Egypt). Because of her faith, she was tortured with all her teeth pulled out, and then burned.

“Initially, this woman was considered the patroness of those suffering from toothache, but in the 18th century, at the initiative of the famous French dentist Pierre Fauchard, she became the patroness of dentists,” the VU student says, adding that the practice of this famous dentist was not to remove broken patients’ teeth, as was customary at the time, but to treat them and restore the chewing function.

Studying at VU has been an aspiration since school

The student of the Faculty of Medicine is happy with the opportunity to study and acquire a high level of knowledge in Vilnius, because she does not plan to leave her native country: “The Old Town of the capital, the Mountain Park, observation decks, the courtyards of Vilnius University are the most beautiful places for me not only in my hometown, but also in the whole of Lithuania. That is why my aspiration from high school classes, when I started to fill in the list of future study priorities, has always been Vilnius University,” the first-year student admits.

M. Pekarskaitė says that she considers the university as her second home and follows in the footsteps of her parents – they also graduated from VU, her brother is currently continuing his studies at VU. However, the studies at the Faculty of Medicine, according to the girl, are not just a continuation of family traditions, but an interest that has continued since primary school.

“My family has been fascinated by my admiration for the life sciences. This field of science attracted me greatly. I have always enjoyed studying and biology lessons, especially the topics of human anatomy have always been the most interesting,” M. Pekarskaitė recalls.

Thoughts about the dentist’s work visited M. Pekarskaitė when she had to spend a lot of time in the dentist’s chair for the purposes of health and beauty.“ Many patients are afraid of dental treatment. On the contrary, I was waiting for visits, because I was very curious about what further procedures would be, what the result should be, what dental defects would be eliminated.” 

It is no secret that the entrance score to dental studies is very high, so, from the very beginning, the girl doubted whether she would succeed, constantly thought about other possibilities, but her mother helped to overcome the doubts. “She kept asking me why I was constantly “writing off” my dental studies. I wondered: my grades are excellent, my academic achievements are exemplary, and my knowledge is deep. And everyone around me repeated: who, if not you,” the girl shares her memories of the dilemma of choosing a future profession.

The coronavirus pandemic was not an obstacle

After the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, the form of distance learning at school, according to the girl, both frightened her with innovations and motivated her to work even more, focusing on science. “My stubbornness and desire to overcome the sadness of the situation at the time led me forward, made me overcome my lack of confidence and actively prepare for exams at home,” says the graduate who was only dreaming of the dental studies at the time. According to her, she passed the exams at school much better than expected and, without hesitation, chose dental studies at VU as the priority studies.

“When I found out that I got into dentistry, I was very happy. This is always the case in life: when you want to, try hard and work hard – the goal becomes achievable. So I succeeded,” the VU student says and assures that the support she felt while studying at high school, taking state exams or having just entered the Faculty of Medicine continues to help her to be confident in her abilities.

M. Pekarskaitė makes no secret of the fact that the successful distance learning experience gained at her school and through state exams is very helpful even now while studying at the University. “It’s nice that all the teachers are benevolent. They understand that it is not so easy to participate in the exercises remotely, so they try to help in every possible way,” the first year student says.

According to her, not only teachers, but also classmates try to use distance-learning time as effectively as possible: pay as much attention as possible to additional reading or repetition. “Of course, we always strive to communicate with professors, feel and give feedback ourselves. I have no doubt that with joint efforts we will overcome this “specific remote silence that sometimes prevails behind the computer screen”, M. Pekarskaitė says.

The future dentist admits that the first-year students being the first to study during the COVID-19 pandemic are facing many challenges, but the circumstances also make it unique: “We have seen each other in real life very few times. The names of some course or group friends are still difficult to remember. However, this is definitely something unusual. We feel like being special “first year students during the pandemic”.

According to M. Pekarskaitė, today’s dentistry is extremely advanced, new scientific and technical achievements are constantly appearing, reducing the patient’s discomfort and shortening the treatment time, therefore the student is proud of her future profession, studies at the Faculty of Medicine and her future prospects.

"Dentistry is a practical profession, but it is very similar to the musician’s profession: it also needs love and artistry. To be a great dentist or musician, you have to prepare from an early age, learn a lot and develop your skills throughout your life,” says the VU student.