Tiffany Tep finds her calling as a dentist for kids

Dental education and a life-changing service trip led her to pediatrics

Tiffany Tep, D.M.D., first considered dentistry early in her life, but it wasn’t until she began working with children that she found her passion for the field.

Now, she’s one of 73 D.M.D. students in the OHSU School of Dentistry Class of 2025. She is part of the final class to start their dental education during the pandemic, when face masks and virtual learning were everyday life.

While in high school, the Beaverton local took part in the OHSU School of Dentistry’s Dental Explorers year-long program. In college at Oregon State University, she joined a pre-dental club while studying biology with minors in chemistry and business. She also gained insight by shadowing at a dental clinic, where she observed patient care.

Volunteering brightens outlook

When Tep began dental school in 2021, she found it challenging to adjust to the isolation of online learning. Pandemic protocols—face masks, social distancing and virtual classes—made it harder to connect with classmates.

“I started failing things for the first time,” she said.

To cope with the tough moments, Tep got involved in extracurricular groups to build a community of shared interests. Once in-person activities resumed her cohort strengthened and she began to thrive by finding connection and renewed motivation.

“I like staying busy and engaging with my community,” said Tep, who volunteers for Voices for Inclusion, Belonging and Equity, or VIBE, the American Student Dental Association, Bridges Collaborative Care Clinic, the School of Dentistry student government and a Pediatric Interest Group.

Tep is a child of two Khmer Rouge genocide survivors. In Dec. 2024, a service-learning trip to Cambodia solidified Tep’s decision to specialize in pediatric dentistry. She traveled to Phnom Penh with two School of Dentistry peers and trip leader Michael Lacey, D.M.D, M.A.G.D., a now-retired assistant professor from the School of Dentistry Restorative Dentistry department. The experience also linked the group with dental students from the University of Health Sciences in Cambodia.

The makeshift clinic, set up at a primary school and ministry, aimed to educate children about the health benefits of oral hygiene. Tep taught children how brushing and flossing prevent disease, remove plaque and reduce gum inflammation.

She also applied fluoride treatments, explaining the process by likening the process to painting fingernails with nail polish, a comparison that helped her patients of all ages feel more at ease.

“The experience was eye-opening for me,” she said. “It reinforced why I want to go into pediatrics.”

Tep hopes to ease dental anxiety by offering compassionate care to patients when they’re young. She recognizes that children and adults face challenges, from embarrassment about their dental health and past negative experiences to financial obstacles and mistrust of dentists.

“We’re here to help and support our patients, not to judge people,” she said.

Residency at OHSU

Tep isn’t going far after graduating on June 6. Ten days later she has an orientation for her OHSU Advanced Education Program in Pediatric Dentistry residency program, which starts July 1.

“After my first rotation in the pediatric clinic, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I left every day feeling so happy and I couldn’t wait to come back the next day,” Tep said, referring to her training during the D.M.D. program.

Tep has come full circle. As a School of Dentistry student, she volunteered for the same Dental Explorers program that boosted her interest in high school. She also surrounds herself with mentors and peers who increase her confidence and model similar values.

“Before dental school, I used to be so afraid of failing. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. I’ve realized that I’m defined by how I’ve pushed through those failures.”

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Story by Rhonda Morin, APR. Photos by Tiffany Tep

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