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 Jacqueline Hough | The Daily Herald Amy Cooper, a second-year student in the dental hygiene program at Halifax Community College, works on a patient at the school’s dental clinic. |
“We are a very poor community and have quite a few patients who don’t have a dentist or financial means to have one,” she said.
The goal of NC MOM is to provide free dental care to as many needy persons within the state as possible. The clinic, sponsored by the North Carolina Dental Society, will provide treatment on Friday, Feb. 19, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 in The Centre. Registration begins at 6 a.m. each day.
Dental cleanings, fillings and extractions will be done along with partial and denture repairs. Patients will be seen on a first come, first-serve basis so there are no appointments. It is for adults only.
“We expect a large crowd,” Markham said. “This is wonderful to have it here. Often, we have referred patients to the NC MOM clinics in other counties.”
Markham stressed there will be someone giving out numbers early Friday morning so people will not have to stand in the cold or possible bad weather.
There will be enough equipment to set up a 45-chair full dental clinic including X-ray, sterilization and all instrumentation and supplies. For each clinic, there are generally 20 to 45 chairs set up for services provided for 300 to 600 or more patients for the event.
She added there will be dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants doing the work on patients. “If we have the opportunity, students will work under the supervision of dentists and dental hygienists,” she said.
The dental hygiene program has been at HCC for seven years. Every August, 18 new students are accepted into the program, which prepares them for national board and regional board exams.
The two-year program is accredited by the American Dental Association. In order to graduate, students must have 600 hours of clinical experience.
“This is why we have a very up-to-date clinic,” she said. “The students learn to do things the old fashioned way, such as filling out paper forms and computerized ones. No matter what type of dental practice they end up at, they will have experience.”
Most people first meet the dental hygienist in a private dental office where the hygienist performs many critical services that detect, prevent and treat diseases of the mouth.
Career paths for the dental hygienist include positions in clinical dentistry, administration, education, research, consumer advocacy, hospital dentistry and public health.
In the clinic, there are three licensed dental hygienists and a licensed dentist. “It’s not like the students are turned loose on patients,” Markham said.
X-rays, cleanings, oral cancer screenings and patient education are done at the clinic. She added students are exposed to all types of patients. “We do very easy and difficult cleanings,” she said.
The program received a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation that allows kindergarten through fifth grade students from Halifax and Northampton County to be seen one day a week. “Our students get a lot of experience working with children,” Markham said.
Second year student Sally Cavalier said the program is very hard but good. “We see a wide variety of patients.”
Heather Vick, also a second year student, said she enjoys the program. “I think we are very prepared to work in a lot of places.” Both students will graduate in May of this year.
During the spring semester, the clinic has morning and afternoon hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings and on Thursdays, there is an afternoon clinic.
“The fees are very reasonable,” Markham said.
To make an appointment call 252-536-7219.
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