About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Events  |  Members and Advisors   Funding Priorities   |   Applying for a Grant   |   Initiatives   |   Public Policy   |   Grant Recipients   |   News   |   Resources Return to Home                   Miles of Smiles Working in the gym teacher’s office and storage area, two dental hygiene students move around racks of basketballs, jump ropes and hula hoops to arrange the portable dental equipment they use to conduct oral screenings of children at Havencroft Elementary School in Olathe, Kansas. The students are participating in “Miles of Smiles,” a pilot teledentistry program developed by dental hygiene faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry. The students signed up to participate in the program, which seeks to reduce untreated tooth decay in primary and permanent teeth. Miles of Smiles gives students first-hand experience delivering oral health services in an alternative environment and to children at risk of not receiving preventive dental care. The project is currently operating in five Olathe, Kansas, elementary schools. Twenty-eight dental hygiene students participated in the project in 2009; another 28 will participate in 2010. The dental hygiene students conduct cleanings, take X-rays and intraoral photographs, apply fluoride varnish and sealants, and talk with their patients about eating habits and how to take care of their teeth. The on-site computer equipment allows them to create electronic patient health records and transmit X-rays and other information to dentists who agree to provide additional assessment and treatment. The care is supervised by an assistant clinical professor in UMKC’s Division of Dental Hygiene. The project served more than 400 children in 2009; approximately 350 children received fluoride varnish treatments, more than 325 sealants were placed. Since the start of the program, 343 children have been referred to a dentist. Copyright © 2010 REACH Healthcare Foundation. All Rights Reserved   Acceptable Use Site by Digital Evolution Group, LLC