Allen Conan Davis, D.M.D., is tasked with strengthening old ties and finding new ways to be involved locally in his role as assistant dean for Community Collaborations and Public Health.
“Partnerships are so important to enhancing the diversity of educational experience for our students that the School of Dentistry is dedicated to establishing unique and beneficial collaborations to that end,” Davis said.
The school, part of a statewide oral health coalition, has established several partnerships with the private dental community, health center clinics and public health departments. These collaborations give Dentistry the ability to use its resources to improve the oral health of Alabamians and shape the education of its students.
“It is important that our students to be exposed to all aspects of general dentistry,” Davis said. “Community-based education, research and service help develop a well-rounded dental practitioner, and these aspects now are requirements for dental school accreditation.”
General dentistry residency programs are being planned in areas around Alabama, including Florence, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Dothan and Mobile.
“Florence was identified as our first off-campus site because we have strong partnerships in that area,” Davis said. “We have been able to identify potential funding for the initial start-up costs, which can be significant. The area also is home to a great alumni group whose encouragement and support helped make our decision to move forward with the program plans that much easier.”
Davis said once the off-campus residency program is established, it will become an additional rotation site available to senior dental students.
Expanding care
Dentistry has secured several grants to improve oral health in Alabama and is applying for more to widen its scope. The school also hopes to improve access to oral health in Alabama through a workforce-improvement grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration.
The HRSA grant is being used to attract dentists to areas of need around the state and provide them a financial incentive to practice there. The financial incentive plan is conducted and administered through a joint partnership between the school and the State Dental Association. The State of Alabama provides coverage for oral health care for children through its Medicaid program; participating dental practices would be required to see a certain percentage of Medicaid patients and remain in the same location for at least four years. Davis says UAB wants to select dentists who desire to take care of low-income people and work in needy rural areas through this program in part because Medicaid does not provide dental coverage for adults.
“There are poor adults in Alabama who don’t have adequate access to care, and we have a major concern about that because research shows poor oral health can lead to other serious health complications,” Davis said. “UAB hopes to eventually change this situation, and we want to encourage our students to be leaders in such efforts.”
During the inaugural UAB Dentistry Cares Day this past year, more than 500 volunteers provided care for almost 350 Birmingham-area homeless and low-income residents. More than 500 UAB and community volunteers completed 29 amalgams, 83 composites, 305 extractions, 80 cleanings and seven fluoride treatments. Davis said the youngest patient was 4 years old and the oldest was 94 years old.
“Ultimately, our success can be summed up in the words of a dental student who volunteered this past year, who stated that he was impressed to see an entire organization pulling together and working hard as a team to provide help to those in need,” Davis said.
Dentistry cares
This year’s event is scheduled Nov. 5, with plans to include partner clinic sites around the city. Davis said UAB Dentistry works with local shelters, which bring in program participants, and high priority is given to patients suffering from dental infections or pain.
“Birmingham has been good to UAB, and we want to give back some of our time and expertise,” Davis said. “It is good for our students to see the school and community partners working together as a team with a specific goal to help others. There are so many low-income people with no insurance coverage who are not eligible for Medicaid in Alabama, and we want to do our part to help those in need.”
The event will offer dental exams, X-rays, cleanings, simple fillings and extractions to those in need. On-site wellness activities, including blood pressure checks and oral cancer screenings, are also provided. Davis said local dentists volunteer to assist with limited follow-up treatment as needed.
“Because of the overwhelming response for service this past year, we have enlisted the help of a few local clinics that also will be accepting patients at their sites this year,” Davis said. “Christ Health Center, The Foundry and Jefferson County Health Department dental clinics all have agreed to participate and treat a set number of patients at their sites for no charge that day.”
Davis said the school always is looking for partners in the dental community for UAB Dentistry Cares Day. He said he would be happy to discuss ideas with dentists who might not be able to take part on Nov. 5, but would like to help by taking a patient or two in their offices at a later date.
“We would love to establish a system to be able to send a patient or two to many dentists under this type of program to help with the constant need by low-income folks we see at the School of Dentistry,” Davis said.
