Free Dental Demonstrations on the Horizon!

​As part of the NYSDA/Foundation Dental Demonstration Project, through which volunteer dentists provide dental treatment to people in need of such care within Article 28 facilities and Federal Qualified Health Centers, we are happy to announce the following upcoming events:
 
Oak Orchard Community Health Center in Brockport, Saturday, 15 October
 
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, Saturday, 12 November
 
Regional Primary Care Network/Wayne Community Health Center in Lyons, Saturday, 19 November
 
In addition to providing dental treatment, the NYSDA/Foundation Dental Demonstration Project raises awareness of the importance of oral health to overall health, and, in the process, enrolls new patients into ongoing treatment in a dental home, thus eliminating the need for these patients to seek emergency room care for dentistry.
 
Dr. Brendan Dowd, NYSDA Vice President and former Foundation Trustee, has been instrumental in providing the leadership necessary in recruiting volunteer practitioners to events. “By participating in these demonstrations,” explains Dr. Dowd, “you not only do a great service to individuals, but you also prove, once again, to our elected officials that our profession gets things done.”

Betsy Bray is the newly hired Oral Health Workforce Director who is responsible for developing the public health/dental home piece of the Dental Demonstration Project. Says Bray, “Getting patients into ongoing treatment – into a dental home – is a huge part of what we’re doing. It’s integral to NYSDA’s potential for continued and ongoing State funding to conduct these private/public partnerships.”
 
Dentists and dental hygienists who volunteer as part of any of the above mentioned Dental Demonstration Projects will be recognized by the New York State Dental Foundation’s new Volunteer Registry; this is also where you can sign up to volunteer for any and/or all of the NYSDA/Foundation Dental Demonstration Projects. For more information, contact Cyndy Fiegl, project coordinator, at cfiegl@8ddsny.org. See this site for continuous updates and further information.