Ann Arbor, MI — November 9, 2012 — A group of dental hygiene students from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry volunteered their time Sat., Oct. 27, to provide oral health care to 18 patients at the Community Dental Center.  Celebrating 30 years of service to Ann Arbor this year, the Center provides a full range of dental services including cleanings, extractions, crowns and bridge work, and implants, plus oral health care education to low-income Washtenaw County residents.

Dr. Bonita Neighbors (DDS 1986), the Center’s director, said the 18 patients who were examined were CDC patients of record who are low-income country residents without dental insurance and who had not received dental care for some time.

“Patients expressed how happy they were to receive a dental cleaning and praised the dental hygiene students for the excellent work they did,” said Darlene Jones, a staff hygienist at the Center.  “Every patient also received x-rays and a complete exam.”

Thirteen dental hygiene students worked with Jones, staff hygienist Deborah Stults, Neighbors, and Karen Ridley, assistant professor of dental hygiene in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine at the School of Dentistry.

Follow-Up Care

Neighbors said after the dental hygiene students finished their work she completed the examinations and developed treatment plans for follow-up care.  The patients have been invited to return in November when dental students will be available to provide the necessary treatment.  “The cleaning and exam are an important first step and allows us to let the patients know what additional treatment is needed,” she said.  “It also gives our dental student volunteers time to prepare for the treatment they will provide when the patients return.”

Last year, both third- and fourth-year dental students began providing care at the Center as a part of the School’s Community-Based Education Outreach program.  Two days a week they provide restorative, surgical, and periodontal treatments as well as emergency care.  Second-year dental students are also involved.  They observe how a dental office runs, participate in infection control procedures, review the health history and blood pressure of patients and taking radiographs.

“The Saturday programs are an extension of the emergency dental services provided as a result of a United Way grant for very low-income clients who meet federal guidelines,” Neighbors said.  The care provided, she said, includes preventive dental care and routine restorative procedures.  “We hope to be able to do this again at a later date,” she added.  The Center is a cooperative venture between U-M and the city of Ann Arbor.