UB dental school gives veterans a reason to smile

More than 150 veterans received free dental care from UB’s School of Dental Medicine and community-based providers on Saturday during the ninth annual Dentistry Smiles on Veterans program. It was held at the UB dental clinics on the South Campus.

Volunteers, who included 240 students and numerous UB faculty members, community-based dental providers, hygienists, dental assistants and staff members, provided comprehensive care to treat a range of oral health needs. They performed 74 cleanings and 54 direct restorations, completed 36 extractions and fabricated one temporary partial denture. The services were valued at approximately $61,000 in private dental practice fees.

“In the last nine years, we have done close to $700,000 worth of work and have treated close to 2,000 people,” said event organizer Brendan Dowd, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry. “But the most important result is helping many veterans find a dental home.”

During this year’s event, more than 40 veterans who attended signed up for follow-up appointments.

Dentistry Smiles on Veterans aims to improve oral health and overall health among veterans, many of whom lack dental insurance or do not qualify for treatment through the Veterans Health Administration.

“I volunteer to work this event to give back to my fellow veterans,” said Jeanette Dowrey Smith, urgent care coordinator for the School of Dental Medicine and a U.S. Navy veteran. “I know how hard it is to find someone who takes my insurance. If veterans need care, they may not have the money to cover it.”

Smith received the 2024 Dentistry Smiles on Veterans Image of Excellence Award, which is given to an honored veteran in recognition of their service.

In addition to benefiting patients, Dentistry Smiles on Veterans is also a meaningful opportunity for students, who learned the importance of giving back to their community and the power of interprofessional collaboration and education. The schools of Public Health and Health Professions, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Law provided veterans with additional support services.

“The volunteers are instrumental to the success of the event,” Dowd said. “It is a wonderful feeling to help those who have kept our country safe and secure for all of us.”