Dental School attracts many in-kind donors

Children in Guatemala receive donated toothpaste and toothbrushes from UDM dental students during a dental mission trip in 2011.

Rick Kelley, executive director of Advancement, Alumni Relations and Continuing Education at the UDM School of Dentistry, often fields calls from donors and alumni who want to donate equipment or supplies to the School. Since UDM has state-of-theart equipment in its dental suites, Kelley often routes the equipment donations to community programs that offer free dental care, including St. Vincent de Paul, Covenant Community Care and St. Leo’s.

Donated supplies are put to use by UDM dental students during their mission trips to Honduras and Guatemala. Approximately 600 residents are treated annually by UDM dental students and faculty in the rural mountain region of La Reforma. The Christian Dental Association (CDA) sends 15 dental students and two to three dentists to Honduras twice a year. Their reward is seeing the gleaming smiles of gratitude from the people who receive dental care.

Many vendors provide free supplies for the Dental School’s annual “Give Kids a Smile” day in February, which draws about 150 children between 4 and 16 years of age. Fourth year dental students, supervised by dental professors, conduct a dental exam, do extractions and fill cavities while dental hygiene students clean teeth and educate these young patients about good oral hygiene. This event is supported by Benco Dental and Kerr Dental.