Dental day in Panhandle helps children, tests telehealth system

Dr. Jason Vogt, left, and Dr. Fouad Salama, right, work with patient Joshua Nazareus. In consultation via the Nebraska Telehealth Network are Drs. Jeffrey Nickel and Bruce Bavitz of Box Butte Hospital in Alliance, Neb. Photos by Peggy Cain.

During the three years the UNMC College of Dentistry has taken Children’s Dental Day to the Panhandle, more than 500 children have received care and nearly $300,000 worth of services have been provided.

This year the UNMC College of Dentistry, in conjunction with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, took the opportunity to test the effectiveness of using the statewide telehealth system during an emergency during Dental Day X.

“The geographic distance between the Panhandle sites and the dental college in Lincoln made this event the perfect time to test how well the telehealth system would work if an actual emergency should occur,” said Phil Smith, M.D., professor of internal medicine, chief of the infectious disease section and director of the Biocontainment Unit at the medical center.

Dental hygiene student Audrey Kusek with patient Kassandra Redman.

Dental student Chris Pobanz with patient Cody Kurth.

The telehealth system, which uses high-speed data lines or T1 lines to transmit video and audio signals, was established during the first excursion to the Panhandle in 2004. The system was used by dental professionals in the seven participating Panhandle towns for consultations by specialists at the UNMC College of Dentistry in Lincoln. The T1 lines are installed in hospitals and are subsidized by the state Public Service Commission and federal dollars in an effort to provide connectivity to rural parts of the U.S.

More than 190 children received dental services, ranging from cleanings to restorative and preventive care, during the two-day event, said David Brown, Ph.D., professor of oral biology and executive associate dean at the UNMC College of Dentistry.

The total cost of services provided at private practice rates are estimated at $100,000, Dr. Brown said.

All of the children who participated were pre-screened by dental volunteers in their communities, which included: Sidney, Alliance, Gering, Chadron, Crawford, Rushville and Gordon.