In the Community Archives - Page 6 of 9

The First Dental Home program originated as part of a 2007 corrective action plan stemming from a 1993 class action lawsuit, Frew v. Hawkins, which alleged the state had failed to provide biannual medical and dental treatment for indigent children in Texas under the age of 21. The First Dental Home initiative goes above and beyond this requirement to provide, on average, three dental appointments a year to some of the youngest children enrolled in Medicaid. It helps to view the program as a package of dental services that exists to improve the oral health of those ages 6 months to 35 months and possibly beyond while providing consistent messages to their caregivers. As such, a First Dental Home visit includes: caries risk assessment; dental prophylaxis (teeth cleaning); oral hygiene instructions with the primary caregiver; application of a topical fluoride varnish; dental anticipatory guidance; and establishment of a recall schedule. Source: Texas Department of State Health Services, Office of the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice

The First Dental Home visit

Sources: Texas Department of State Health Services, Office of the Solicitor General, U.S. Department of Justice Infographic Description The First Dental Home Visit How it started: The First Dental Home program originated as part of a 2007 corrective action plan ... Read More

TAMBCD residents and faculty oversee First Dental Home visits like this one at the Foremost Family Health Center – Martin Luther King Jr.

First Dental Home: Is the initiative working?

TAMBCD researchers receive National Institutes of Health grant to evaluate the effectiveness of this state program. Children enrolled in Medicaid have access to a state program known as the First Dental Home. Intended to improve the oral health of youngsters ... Read More

Organizers of the 2015 Miles for Smiles present a check to TAMBCD administrators

Miles ahead

Runathon, matching donations generate $30,000 for TAMBCD Social Services Dental Care Fund. On Aug. 21, Miles for Smiles organizers presented a $10,000 check for the Social Services Dental Care Fund at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry. Matching donations ... Read More

Operation Lone Star: Students aid Hidalgo County

The need for medical and dental care in South Texas is great. According to area news reports, just five minutes after doors opened on July 27, Operation Lone Star hit capacity for its dental and vision services provided for free ... Read More

ThIllustration of a person divided by various health care disciplines

Meeting the demand for patient-centered care

The advent of new health care delivery models calls for professionals to focus on the total health needs of patients, and TAMBCD has responded with plans for community training expansion and a revamped postdoctoral degree program. The U.S. Department of ... Read More

Miles For Smiles 2015

Join the fun at the 2015 Miles for Smiles event Read More

Going the extra mile to help patients

When University of North Texas senior Leslie Powell learned about Miles for Smiles at a UNT Predental Association meeting, she joined the planning committee and got to work seeking potential sponsors. Elsewhere in Dallas, University of Texas at Dallas predental ... Read More

A graphic of a tooth running in front of the Dallas skyline is meant to promote the May 9 Miles for Smiles runathon benefitting oral health care.

Running for oral health care

Now entering its seventh year, the Miles for Smiles runathon becomes an official TAMBCD event Since spring 2009 Miles for Smiles — the brainchild of predental students from the University of Texas at Dallas — has raised $24,755 for the ... Read More

One grand mission

During Operation Lone Star, every minute counts. It’s 3 a.m. on Aug. 4 in Mission, Texas, three miles from the Texas-Mexico border. The air is still. The heat from the previous afternoon lingers. Like most August days in South Texas, ... Read More

Students treat patients at Give Kids a Smile.

Second student-run Give Kids a Smile event in the works, complete with follow-up care referrals

Give Kids a Smile, a tradition more than a decade in the making, rallies public and private dental practices, dental schools and dental professional organizations nationwide to provide free oral health services to children in need. On Feb. 28, TAMBCD ... Read More