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Instructor Donald Wakeham with students in the neuromodulator course.

A neuromodulator course offered at the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry is giving dental students training that many dentists don’t get until well into their careers.

Neuromodulators are substances such as Xeomin, Letybo or Botox that get injected into facial muscles to temporarily relax or inhibit muscle activity. By preventing nerve signals from reaching muscles, they can treat muscle-related pain, manage certain medical conditions and smooth wrinkles.

The course gives students access to online, pre-course materials as well as three days of intensive, hands-on training. Students get practice giving injections on lab cadavers before they have the opportunity to give supervised live patient injections in a controlled environment.

Students learn both therapeutic treatments and esthetic procedures during their training.

The offering is part of a broader effort to give future dentists hands-on experience while they’re still in school. 

With neuromodulator treatments becoming more common, these skills are increasingly important for dentists. The accredited course is the only one available to undergraduate dentistry students in North America, setting the ß÷ßäÉçÇø apart by preparing students with skills highly sought by employers and patients. 

"Programs like this offer students valuable real-world skills and interprofessional collaboration," says James Yacyshyn, director of the school’s Continuing Dental Education. "It’s an opportunity for students to engage with medical and allied health professionals beyond traditional dental training."

Students are trained by a diverse group of health-care professionals, spanning oral and maxillofacial surgery, dermatology, family medicine, general dentistry and nursing specializing in facial esthetics.

Students learn facial anatomy, precise injection methods, patient assessment and management, and safety management. Each participant also receives a comprehensive textbook.

“This course was a great opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with neuromodulators,” notes DDS 2025 student Naomi Chu, a member of the most recent student intake. “The instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and approachable, sharing their expertise on anatomy and the practical use of neuromodulators for both functional and esthetic applications.”

The next intake for the Neuromodulator Level 1/2 course opens this fall for the DDS 2026 cohort. Twelve students will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, each earning a continuing education certificate in neuromodulators upon graduation.

Registration details and eligibility requirements will be provided to the DDS 2026 class soon. Interested students should watch their inboxes for more information.