Bartow Arena was bustling with volunteers on Friday, providing much-needed relief to children in Blount County facing excessive tooth decay.
TeamSmile partners with oral health professionals and professional sports organizations to provide free dental care and education to underserved children. Since 2007, they’ve conducted over 275 programs, served more than 55,000 children, and provided over $20 million in free dental care and education. Through these efforts, they emphasize the importance of oral health to overall health.
Dr. Kyounga Cecilia Cheon, Director of Finn Pediatric Dental Clinic, said, “We are excited to partner with TeamSmile for this meaningful charitable event benefiting the children of Blount County. This initiative not only provides essential dental care to hundreds of children who may not otherwise have access, but it also highlights the power of collaboration among healthcare professionals, students, staff, administration, and community organizations. Together, we can significantly impact the oral health and overall well-being of these children, helping to build healthier futures for our community. By strengthening these core community values, we look forward to hosting more events like this in the future.”
The event had almost 170 UAB and community volunteers and served a total of 237 children. Dental services included exams, X-rays, hygiene, fillings, sealants and silver diamine fluoride application, and extractions. The children were also able to enjoy face painting, mascots, UAB sports team representatives, and other fun activities.
Dr. Raquel Mazer, Director of Community Collaborations and Director of the Division of Behavioral and Population Sciences, said School of Dentistry faculty and staff spent several months coordinating with the Blount County school administrators, nurses and teachers. “We are so thrilled to be able to host this event and have the Blount County children at UAB. We have worked in partnership with the schools over the last two years after requests from nurses and school administrators raising concerns over the children’s dental needs. By extending oral health surveillance to that county, our community outreach education efforts allowed us to better identify the needs of children living in that area. We have a shortage of the dental workforce in the several areas on the state, including Blount County. While we cannot resolve this shortage in the immediate future, UAB Dentistry is working diligently to help address the dental needs in communities outside of the UAB campus and Jefferson County. It is critical that our dental school works to bridge gaps in access to dental services and we include our trainees along the way. We have partnered with TeamSmile before, and we are glad to have them on campus again.”
Over time, Blount County removed fluoride from most of its water supplies. According to the 2020 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS), 82% of the county’s water is not fluoridated. Water fluoridation works by releasing controlled fluoride levels into public water supplies, preventing tooth decay, and promoting overall oral health. There is a natural level of fluoride in water, usually at levels too low to prevent cavities.
Dr. Stephen Mitchell, Director of the Sparks Dental Clinic, said, “We are extremely excited to be partnering with TeamSmile, and it’s an amazing opportunity to help a group of kids that are experiencing a lot of tooth decay. Why are we seeing so much tooth decay? One thing we do know is that Blount County used to be a heavily fluoridated county. When we look the older kids that experienced fluoridated water, their teeth look healthy. However, our younger kids are having a lot of decay to the point where we needed to host an event like this.”
Alabama ranked 51st in the country for access to dental care, according to the American Dental Association. Seventy-one percent of Alabama’s counties are experiencing a dental care shortage.
“Another concern about having to host an event like this is the lack of dental providers. Our state is facing a crisis. We currently have the lowest number of dentists to population, but Blount County is one of eleven counties that only have one dentist under 40 years of age. This crisis is impacting our rural counties, and we need to think as a state about how to address this,” Mitchell said.
UAB’s student dentists were excited to collaborate with TeamSmile and ensure that hundreds of children received crucial dental care.
Student volunteer Trevor McLemore said, “Being out here and having the opportunity to serve the community is something that has always led me into dentistry in the first place. Having the time and availability to come out and support and serve these young children is a blessing. I could not be more proud of the school I attend.”
When asked what this event meant to her, dental student Taylor Powers said, “I am excited to be able to serve the rural population today at the TeamSmile event.”
UAB Pediatric Dentistry, works to provide every family with quality, comprehensive oral health care directed by board-certified or board-eligible specialists in pediatric dentistry. Our goal is to clearly communicate with our patients and families, focusing on the individualized prevention of childhood dental issues so you do not have to see us as often. For more information and to make an appointment, call (205) 934-4546.