UNMC’s College of Dentistry will host Children’s Dental Day Monday, April 8. The day-long event will provide 185 children from Lincoln, Beatrice, Grand Island and Harvard, a day of free dental screening, diagnosis, care and education.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., at the college in Lincoln, at 40th and Holdrege streets. Dental services will be donated by 200 UNMC dental and dental hygiene students, 56 UNMC faculty and dental residents and 40 staff. Other participants include the Hope Medical Outreach Coalition and volunteers from the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, dental hygiene faculty and students from Central Community College and dental assistant students from Southeast Community College.
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While 43 million Americans have no health insurance, 150 million have no dental coverage, according to the report. Only 32 states cover any kind of dental care for Medicaid-eligible adults (Nebraska is one that does), and less than half of 1 percent of Medicaid expenditures are for children’s dental services. Medicaid reimbursement rates for dental services are woefully low (although recently increased in Nebraska); and, when coupled with time and administrative burdens to the dentist, offer few incentives to provide Medicaid treatment. |
School-aged children will receive free dental exams, cleaning, fluoride treatments, sealants, restorative work, and emergency care as needed. The event will draw children from 100 miles around Lincoln with focus on communities, which are not fluoridated, where access to dental care is limited or unavailable.
Participating schools are Saratoga Elementary School of Lincoln; Lincoln Elementary School of Grand Island; Harvard Elementary School of Harvard; and students from four schools in Beatrice: Cedar Elementary, Stoddard Elementary, Paddock Elementary and Lincoln Elementary.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the college to exercise both its education and outreach missions,” said John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry. “We hope the care and education will provide will improve the dental health of the children now and in the future. We think this experience is good for our students in learning the importance of giving back to the community. In addition, they will receive valuable technical experience, as they will undoubtedly see a wide variety of dental disease.”
The college hosts the event twice a year to provide underserved children access to dental health care. The program is an effort to address the oral health needs of Nebraska children from low income, uninsured and homeless families.
“As part of our commitment to community service, the college hopes to emphasize that good oral health contributes significantly to good general health,” said David Brown, Ph.D., the college’s executive associate dean and one of the event organizers. “Good oral health in children results in happier, more attentive children.”
Dental Day also will provide children with educational and entertainment activities designed to teach the importance of good dental habits. Dental characters such as Count Plaqula, armed with a giant toothbrush, Orthoman, Perioman, Pedoman and clowns will entertain children with games, including those that teach good snacks versus bad, how soda pop affects their teeth and what decay looks like.
Lunch, and snacks such as carrots, popcorn and apples, will be provided. Children also will receive a bag of items, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, activity books and stickers. Interpreters also will be available.
Financial sponsors of Children’s Dental Day are: Ameritas Insurance Co., the Sower’s Club of Lincoln, Inc. and the Nebraska Dental Association. Donors of dental and other supplies are DENTSPLY, Oral B, Proctor and Gamble (Crest), Patterson Dental Supply, Inc., G.C. America, Inc., Ultradent, Sara Lee Breads and Pastries, Pepsi-Cola Products, Fairbury Hot Dogs and Colby Ridge Popcorn.