Calhoun Community College is thrilled to announce its partnership with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) to provide free dental cleaning services to pregnant women, as well as children under 17.
According to Sunnie McWhorter, director of the dental hygiene program, this partnership was established to help meet the growing need for oral health care among children and pregnant women. “We hope to bring in as many children and expectant mothers as possible and provide them with excellent oral care services before school starts,” McWhorter says. “Dental hygiene is one of those things that is so often overlooked. People assume that if they brush their teeth and occasionally floss here and there they are fine, but that is not true. Seeing a dentist and receiving a professional cleaning is essential, and that’s where our clinic can help,” McWhorter added.
Students enrolled in graduate level courses in Calhoun’s dental hygiene program will perform tooth cleanings in accordance with the clinical requirements of their program. ADPH employees will also perform dental services. “Recent dental hygiene rankings in the United States put Alabama in the bottom percentile,” commented Bret McGill, dean of health sciences at Calhoun.
“That means teaching children good dental habits needs to start as early as possible, and that’s the main focus of our partnership with ADPH,” says McGill.
When Calhoun’s new dental hygiene program and lab opened last year, state-of-the-art dental equipment was installed to provide one-on-one dental care to the community at a discounted rate.
Services such as dental cleanings for children and adults, treatment of gingivitis and periodontitis, dental x-rays, dental sealants, fluoride treatments and teeth whitening will be available to the public from mid-August. .
To learn more about the services offered at the Calhoun Dental Clinic or to schedule an appointment, visit www.calhoun.edu/dentalhygiene.
