Program expands to add protecting senior smiles
When Dr. Amal Noureldin, clinical professor and director of the predoctoral program in public health sciences, at Texas A&M College of Dentistry in Dallas, envisioned the Empowering Smiles Oral Health Initiative, it was to provide long-needed oral healthcare and education to children and teens in a few underserved schools in Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District.
What she and her dental and dental hygiene students saw was heartbreaking.
“We saw second grade-schoolers with decay so bad that the teeth were gone, only gums were left,” she said. “These are preventable conditions that no child should have to experience, which is why what we offer is so important – access to knowledge and care and the hope that early prevention can make a difference.”
Supported by more than $330,000 in total funding from partner agency Metrocrest Hospital Authority, the initiative provided oral health education and care to 782 students in 13 elementary schools and middle schools in the last two years. More schools than planned.
There’s more work to do.
Noureldin, fellow faculty and dental and dental hygiene students will head back to CFBISD schools soon, thanks to an additional $246,000 from MHA. However, this year, they will use some of the funds to provide the same care to senior adults in the Metrocrest area.
Plans are to provide care in two or three community centers and senior living centers and other places in the Metrocrest area, which includes Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Addison, Coppell and the surrounding communities. Noureldin is considering sites now.
More than 150 seniors could benefit in the initial phase, she said.
“By bringing preventive oral health services directly into senior communities, we’ll reach more people who might otherwise never receive care,” Noureldin said. “Prevention is more effective, less costly, and has the potential to improve overall health and quality of life.”
Lack of dexterity, medications and chronic health conditions often negatively affect seniors’ oral health. In addition, many seniors battle dry mouth, gum disease and failing or missing teeth. Nearly 13% of adults aged 65 or older had one or more permanent teeth with untreated decay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2024 Oral Health Surveillance Report.
There are financial considerations, too.
National nonprofit CareQuest’s Institute for Oral Health’s new State of Oral Health in America survey found that 77% of respondents, 60 and older, visited dentists in the last year. However, only 66% reported having dental insurance.
Original Medicare doesn’t cover routine dental services, with limited exceptions. However, many Medicare Advantage plans provide some coverage.
Texas Medicaid generally does not provide comprehensive dental coverage for adults, Noureldin said. That leaves many older adults with coverage limited to emergency or other narrowly defined dental services.
“Oral health is an essential part of overall health, and a healthier community begins with access to preventive care,” said John Mahalik, MHA’s CEO. “Empowering Smiles has already made a meaningful difference for children and families in our community. By renewing our support and expanding the program to seniors, we’re helping Texas A&M bring education and care directly to people who might otherwise go without it.”
Senior citizen John Perry won’t be part of the initiative’s new program, but he knows there’s a need. Struggling to afford necessary dental treatment offered at private practices, Perry recently sought care at A&M Dentistry’s clinic on Gaston Avenue and hopes to receive comprehensive treatment soon.
He previously traveled to Costa Rica twice for implants and bridge work to save money. The results were mixed, and Perry spent about $10,000 total out-of-pocket on dental care in the last six years.
“(Other North Texas-area dentists were) willing to help me, but they just wanted me to have bazillion dollars, and I don’t have bazillion dollars,” Perry said.
He’s optimistic about the program and hopes it will expand to help others.
For Noureldin, offering Empowering Smiles to older adults is a natural next step for an initiative built around prevention. Whether helping a child protect newly erupted permanent teeth or helping an older adult maintain the teeth they have, the goal is the same: Bring preventive care to people where they are and before oral disease becomes more difficult and costly to manage.
“A healthy smile should not have an age limit,” Noureldin said. “We started Empowering Smiles with children because prevention early in life can change a child’s future. Now, through our continued partnership with Metrocrest Hospital Authority, we have the opportunity to extend that same commitment to seniors. Together, we are reaching across generations to help people in the Metrocrest community preserve their oral health, their comfort and their quality of life.”