Area¹S First Mobile Dental Clinic Ready to Hit The Road

By Lois Baker

Release Date: October 22, 1996 This content is archived.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Faculty members, students and residents from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine will be addressing the dental-care needs of unserved and underserved children in Chautauqua County in a new dental clinic on wheels that will be unveiled next week.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the mobile facility will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29, on the UB South (Main Street) Campus, in the atrium of Squire Hall and in the adjacent parking lot.

Called the Success for Life Mobile Dental Van, the mobile clinic was made possible through a grant from the Gebbie Foundation and its Success by Six program.

The project also received supplemental funding from the Southern Chautauqua United Way, the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation and the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

The 39-foot, custom-made van contains two fully equipped dental operatories with the capability to provide a wide range of pediatric dental services, including cleanings, regular check-ups, fillings, sealants, X-rays, referrals and dental-health education.

Louis J. Goldberg, D.D.S., Ph.D., dean of the UB dental school, said the school appreciates greatly the Gebbie Foundation's generosity and reaffirmed the school¹s commitment to public service, particularly to children whose access to care is limited.

"Research has shown that poor dietary habits in infants and children can have an adverse effect on their oral health," he said. "Early intervention has been shown to be effective in reducing tooth decay, and gingival and periodontal diseases. This project will have a significant impact on the health of children and will further the dental school's commitment to disease prevention."

The van will visit selected sites in Chautauqua County throughout the year and serve children who are not receiving care from a dentist. It will be staffed by UB dental school personnel. The targeted populations are children covered by Medicaid or those having little or no dental insurance.