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Idaho Dental Foundation will present check to LCSC Dental Hygiene Program
The Lewis-Clark State College Dental Hygiene Program will receive a check for $3,000 from the Idaho Dental Foundation at a presentation event on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 12:30 p.m. at the LCSC Dental Hygiene Clinic, located in the Wittman Complex on 11th Avenue.
LCSC Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene Vonda Mulrony wrote a grant proposal for the $3,000 on behalf of the Dental Hygiene Program. The money will be used to purchase supplies and continue offering restorative services at no-cost to qualifying community members.
"The Lewis-Clark region has many working families without insurance or access to dentistry, and who are not able to afford the traditional cost of routine dentistry," Mulrony said in her proposal. "The LCSC dental hygiene students need practical experience with individuals having high dental needs. Combining the instructional program with high need clients creates a mutually beneficial partnership."
The LCSC Dental Hygiene Program has a six-chair dental clinic with state-of-the-art technology providing the public with patient-centered, comprehensive, preventive and therapeutic dental care, while at the same time providing practical and educational experiences for dental hygiene students. The Dental Hygiene program’s six senior students perform nonsurgical periodontal therapy with anesthesia, provide preventive oral hygiene instruction, and assist dental staff with anesthesia and restorations. Dentists on staff perform exams, simple extractions and restorations as needed. Six first-year students provide radiographs, cleanings, and sealants. Caries management services and protocols are provided to all patients with the intention of decreasing dental caries, improving patient home care habits and sustaining the dental care provided by students and staff.
Collaboration occurs with several community partners. North Central Idaho Health Department and Asotin County Health Department have been instrumental in referring patients. Partnerships have been formed with the local Head Start classrooms, and emergency room at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center for referral of patients with dental pain and no dental home. Patients are referred back to a local dental office of their choice after treatment is completed at LCSC.
"We are grateful for the support of the Idaho Dental Foundation," said Mulrony. "Without that support we would not be able to see as many patients."
For more information please contact Vonda Mulrony at vmulrony@lcsc.edu or 208.792.2930.
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