It is estimated that every year 51 million school hours are lost because of dental problems. The majority source of those problems is cavities, which are the single most common chronic disease of childhood, occurring five to eight times as frequently as asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Feb. 5 the faculty, staff and students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry will witness firsthand the devastating effects of cavities as they treat more than 150 children from seven Nebraska communities during the annual Children’s Dental Day event at the college in Lincoln. Participating communities include Columbus, Hastings, Lexington, Madison, Norfolk, Schuyler and West Point.
“Unfortunately for many of the children we treat at dental day this is the first time they’ve ever been seen by a dentist. Many of these children and their families have difficulty obtaining routine care,” said John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry.
Since the program began in 2001 the college has provided more than $1 million in care to 2,500 kids, he said. The type of care provided includes sealants, extractions, fillings, root canals, crowns and cleanings.
“It’s no surprise that about 25 percent of the children in Nebraska are estimated to experience 80 percent of the dental disease reported, as that’s the norm in the U.S. The American Dental Association estimates that more than 100 million Americans don’t have dental insurance,” Dr. Reinhardt said.
During the dental day event, upper level dental and dental hygiene students work in the clinics, while many of the first-year students facilitate games and activities with the children and adolescents, ranging in age from 5 to 17, on the lower level of the college. Activities include teaching good snack choices, how soda pop affects the teeth, what decay looks like and how to brush and floss. Lunch and healthy snacks also are provided and each child receives a goody bag of items, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, activity book and stickers.
Children participating in the event are identified and pre-screened in their communities by volunteers, including school nurses, members of faith-based organizations, Head Start, dentists and dental hygienists. These volunteers donate their time to identify needy children, provide oral health screenings that indicate the type of care the children will need when they come to the dental college, and in many cases, come with the children for emotional support and translation services.
As the state’s only academic health science center, UNMC is on the leading edge of health care. Breakthroughs are possible because hard-working researchers, educators and clinicians are resolved to work together to fuel discovery. In 2009, UNMC’s extramural research support topped $100 million for the first time, resulting in the creation of 3,600 jobs in Nebraska. UNMC’s academic excellence is shown through its award-winning programs, and its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading health care centers. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 550 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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