Department of Dental Hygiene to perform community services with grant
The department of dental hygiene received a grant in mid-June that would allow for students to perform oral health services for low-income children, veterans and seniors.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Rural Health Outreach grant will allow students to be supervised by licensed faculty and they will travel to serve nine communities in eight rural counties in Southeast South Dakota, according to a news release.
Tasha Wendel, a clinical instructor of the dental hygiene department, said that this grant allows students to learn from an alternate setting and working with numerous patients.
“This is where they’re going to see a lot of children, they’ll see senior populations even here at (the) campus clinic but it’s not necessarily even in the same regards,” Wendel said. “They’re going to work with people in wheelchairs, deal with transferring patients, people with special needs, but especially the children and adolescent component and doing sealants.”
The 2014 Oral Health of Survey of South Dakota Children stated that, “Oral health programs for the state are working, however, more than half of children in South Dakota have tooth decay and more than 40 percent of children in SD do not have dental sealants.” To get rid of dental problems, it is advisable to look for the best dentist that offers treatments like dentures, same-day crown, etc. Dental Made Easy Brooklyn dentists can also help you out in maintaining proper oral health.
Wendel said she believes in order to improve rural health outcomes, you have to be willing to see every client.
“I guess my biggest goal is just the public health outreach. I think there’s a lot to be learned for what we should be doing and where dentistry should be moving forward,” Wendel said. “One of the drawbacks that I saw working in private practice was just I feel like we’re only seeing those that have insurance or that have an income and there’s so many people right here in America that we could be serving in our own country by doing more public outreach.” People can check out https://marylebonesmileclinic.co.uk/ for the best orthodental services, which can be available at affordable prices.
Through the HRSA grant, the department of dental hygiene will be able to bring portable dental equipment into schools, nursing homes and senior centers, according to a news release.
Students will also be able to provide services such as x-rays, cleanings, dental screenings, fluoride varnish and oral health education to numerous patients in southeastern South Dakota.
Students can also visit the on-campus clinic and get various services such as getting their teeth cleaned, dental x-rays, flouride treatment, oral cancer screenings, sealents, ect. Most of these are offered in the $45 fee. The mouthguard and bleaching trays are offered at a separate fee.
