McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

July 17, 2012

McAlester Health Clinic and Oklahoma Dental Foundation Collaborate for free dental treatment

Nearly $6,000 in Dental Services Provided by Mobile Dental Unit

From submitted reports Submitted report

McALESTER — MCALESTER — On Thursday and Friday, the Oklahoma Dental Foundation’s Mobile Dental Unit pulled alongside Caring Hands Health Care Center in McAlester to provide free dental treatment, a site the mobile unit has visited several times.

Twenty-one patients received a total of $5,790.64 in various types of dental treatment, which included many tooth extractions and restorative care. Each patient was given an exam to assess their individual dental needs.

Those in the area had the opportunity to sign-up for an appointment with coordination by Caring Hands Dental Assistant Regina Turner. Appointments filled up very quickly and some without appointments came hoping to fill any appointments that did not show.

Among those with an appointment was a 61-year-old woman age 61 who had her first dental visit ever. She developed a fear of the dentist early in life, and spent her adulthood caring for her children’s needs above her own. But her dental pain and low-income caused her to seek help on the mobile dental unit.

She received extensive extractions and is being referred locally to make arrangements for dentures.

Dr. Clark Grilliot, of Auld Family Dentistry in McAlester, volunteered a day of his time Thursday. Dr. Eric Touet of Oklahoma City provided services Friday. “It was a great service and it warmed my soul to help the people that entered the mobile dental unit,” Grilliot said. “Everyone was very nice and genuinely wanted to help the patients of my community.”

There is an increasing need in the state of Oklahoma to reach out to underserved populations that are not currently receiving dental care. In particular, those who cannot afford care or must travel too great a distance to make dental care possible. The Access to Care initiative of the ODF, with significant funding provided by Delta Dental of Oklahoma Charitable Foundation and the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, seeks to reach those who fall into these categories through our mobile dental office.

The Mobile Dental Care Program was established by the ODF in 2006. In total, the program has provided dental treatment to over 9,000 Oklahomans, totaling more than $1.5 million in donated services. The mobile unit provides preventative and restorative dentistry. This also includes cleanings, fillings, sealants, fluoride treatments and extractions.

Since 1959, the Oklahoma Dental Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit, has fought for oral health education and access across the state. Its mission is to eliminate barriers to oral health care for Oklahomans. Its efforts include increasing access to and education on oral health care, and organizing continual dental education. The Access to Care program is dependent on the volunteerism of the dental community as it travels throughout Oklahoma. For more information, visit www.okdf.org.

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