Empowering smiles
With the help of a $120,000 grant from the Metrocrest Hospital Authority, Texas A&M School of Dentistry will open two new oral health programs in Farmers Branch and Carrollton this fall.
Dr. Amal Noureldin, a professor and interim head of public health sciences, is excited about the chance to serve these communities. Texas A&M School of Dentistry has a lot of experience with oral health and educational programs, she said, but these are new districts for the dental school. The funding will help provide much-needed dental care in underserved areas and offer great training opportunities for students. She also emphasized the importance of teaching students to give back to the community.
“We’ll have our faculty and students, both dental and dental hygiene, involved in this,” Noureldin said. “The programs will run for a year. We hope to continue them for several years, but the funding is only provided one year at a time.”
The project, “Empowering Smiles,” will provide oral health care to Farmers Branch and Carrollton in four approaches. Noureldin said they will provide screening and sealant clinics at elementary schools in these communities and will host oral health fairs where people can learn more about taking care of their teeth, as well as how oral health can impact overall health. Noureldin said they will also create a dental career education program, where community members and students can learn more about training opportunities in the field of dentistry.
“Our students get to learn how to deliver care and how to give back to their community,” she said, “There is a great need in these two communities. It’s why Metrocrest Hospital Authority provided this money. They were very excited about the proposal.”
The Metrocrest Hospital Authority (MHA) was founded in 1975 to “create a quality health care environment for both providers and users,” according to its website. The entity aims to create partnerships that improve the health of the communities they serve, particularly when it comes to health access and education, prevention efforts, early detection and treatment programs. The Authority’s service area includes Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Addison, Coppell, and surrounding areas.
MHA Chief Operating Officer Krista Weinstein said they are funding 20 different projects this year, totaling $3.3 million. Many of these projects are with long-term partners, and she said she’s hopeful Texas A&M School of Dentistry will become one. MHA only offers funding in one-year cycles, allowing for an annual review of partner programs to ensure they are continuing to positively impact the community.
“We need an emphasis on oral health in all our communities,” Weinstein said. “Oral health plays into overall health. Unfortunately, in underserved areas, health isn’t always the top priority, when you have to focus on rent and putting food on the table. … We are so excited, and we expect this to be a long-term relationship between our two organizations.”
Karen Slater, assistant vice principal of the Texas A&M Foundation, and Ian Wilson, director of development with the foundation, worked with Noureldin to write the grant and said that while MHA was working to advance health care, they had not yet identified a good partner for dental health care until now.
It was “a perfect time and a perfect fit,” Wilson said. “It was a win-win all around. This is exactly what Metrocrest was looking for, and this is a great opportunity for our students to learn and serve the community. I think that we’re going to be great partners.”