The College of Dentistry partnered with the Panhandle Public Health District and LifeSmiles of Sidney, Nebraska, to provide free dental care to 40 children in need in western Nebraska. The event was held at LifeSmiles of Sidney on July 29-31.
Janelle Visser, a health educator for the Panhandle Public Health District, said, "During these tumultuous times, the Panhandle Public Health District was grateful to be able to partner with UNMC College of Dentistry to provide oral health care to children. The dental and hygiene students were phenomenal and made a positive impact on the children’s lifelong oral health."
"Western Dental Day was an excellent opportunity to not only provide free care to children in rural Nebraska, but also to teach them the importance of oral health. It was fun to see how excited some of the kids were to visit the dentist!" – Bailey Peterson, D4
"It was a blessing to have the opportunity to help at Western Dental Day and be able to impact many families. It was special getting to spend time with the kids and an awesome experience to help educate them and treat their oral health needs." – Alexis Jessen, D4
"Being able to help the community and the children was a great experience. We taught them on how to brush their teeth and provided them with things they may not be able to afford. There are so many more children and families out there that need assistance and education. Programs like this are a great opportunity to help." – Shae Toof, DH4
"UNMC's commitment to extraordinary patient care extends beyond our campus and Western Dental Day was a great opportunity for us to gain experience while providing dental care to those in need. Working with these kids through outreach events is very rewarding and one of my favorite parts of dental school." – Preston Dramse, D4