Delta Dental gives support for mobile program
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on June 20, 2016 11:58 AM
The Wayne County Health Department recently received a $1,500 check in support of its mobile dental program, from Delta Dental of North Carolina.
The 50-foot tractor trailer, which bears the colorful kid-friendly logo, "Miles of Smiles," was at Eastern Wayne Elementary School, its fifth school site since it hit the roads nearly a year ago. Since the mobile program began, it has served over 700 students who would not otherwise have held dental services, officials said.
The purchase and upfitting process was made possible through a $170,000 allocation from the county.
Target population for the mobile dental clinic are students who do not have insurance or a dental home, officials said.
Curt Ladig, CEO of Delta Dental, has traveled to grant recipients' locations to see first-hand what his company's investments are doing.
Wayne County was his 17th stop on the latest tour, which started in February.
The Delta Dental Foundation awards grants to community-based oral health programs and organizations in the state that focus on promoting and improving children's oral health, particularly among the underserved populations.
"We have given out $840,00 to 17 organizations," he said. "This is the biggest mobile dental unit I have seen in this state."
Dental hygiene is key to the future health of a child, he explained.
"One-third of the children are missing school because of poor oral health," he said. "We know that by fourth grade if you're not at reading level you're four times as likely to drop out of school."
Tooth decay is a chronic issue, but is preventable, he added.
Health Director Davin Madden said the mobile dental service is part of the mission of public health.
"When I arrived, over 50 percent of the children that were Medicaid-eligible in Wayne County did not receive dental care," he said. "That was unacceptable."
That sparked an effort, with the Board of Health and commissioners forging a partnership, to make it happen.
"It started out with trying to find a good unit that we thought we could afford," Madden said. "We looked at a county that was actually getting out of dental care, Albemarle Regional Health Center."
Their unit was slightly older and needed work but was otherwise in good condition. It was purchased and sent to Ohio for upfitting.
"We were primarily seeing adults, some children," Madden said. "But again, we were waiting for them to come to us.
"We knew that we needed to get out there and meet with the children."
One of the challenges has been letting parents know that the dental service is available to their child at no cost.
For those who have taken advantage of the program -- which offers exams, X-rays, cleaning and fluoride as well as the occasional extracts and fillings -- it has been well-received.
Linwood Kornegay, school nurse at Eastern Wayne Elementary, said one of the "hard parts" of his role is having to send a child home "crying and hurting" because of dental pain.
"I have seen these same kids that you guys have helped, go to the ER, they give them antibiotics because they can't do dental work," he said.
Madden said he wants the program to become a staple in the community, with parents understanding that the service is ongoing.
"This is their dental home. It's just on wheels," he said. "Our plan is to do this every year, so if they have issues after we leave, we don't walk away and leave them.
"As long as they have transportation, and can bring them to the school, we'll see them until they're 18 right on."
The Health Department, he continued, does not compete with private practice nor recruit.