ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan School of Dentistry and the Center for Family Health in Jackson, Mich., are joining forces to provide oral health care to underserved children and adults in the Jackson area. The new partnership builds upon the School’s community outreach initiative that expanded substantially in March 2000.

Under the agreement, thousands of underserved—those not covered by dental insurance or those who lack the means and/or access to receive oral health care—will receive oral health care from dentists enrolled in the School’s Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program. The AEGD program provides one year of advanced training to recently graduated dentists who plan to practice general dentistry in communities with various dental needs.

Eleven AEGD residents will participate in two-week rotations. The rotations began earlier this month and will continue through
“There has been a tremendous need for oral health care for the underserved in the city of Jackson and Jackson County for a long time,” said Molly Kaser, executive director of the Center for Family Health (CFH). According to U.S. Census data (1990), approximately 22 percent of residents in the city of Jackson and 8 percent of the residents of Jackson County are not insured. An undetermined number are underinsured.

Those who will receive the dental services include children, CFH medical patients, hospital emergency room patients referred for follow-up, and nursing home residents.

“More than half of our patients, about 54 percent, are children,” Kaser said. “We will provide oral health care to them and to approximately 700 children in the Head Start program in the Jackson area,” she added. The Department of Community Health estimates there are more than 16,000 individuals on Medicaid in Jackson also eligible to receive oral health care services.

Kaser said another 40 percent receiving oral health care are adults, “primarily working poor who have been waiting a long time for oral health care services, in some instances, as long as 20 years.” The remaining 5 percent or 6 percent are seniors.

Services provided from the facility at 817 W. High St. (near downtown) include preventive care, health education, basic restorative services, dentures, periodontal services, and 24-hour emergency care. Clinic hours are Monday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The dental clinic is directed by Dr. Jane Grover, who earned her dental degree from the U-M School of Dentistry in 1979. She also earned her M.P.H. in medical care administration from the U-M School of Public Health in 1988.

The Center has a strong tradition of responding to community health needs. It has served low-income, uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid residents of Jackson since 1991. With support from the Jackson Area Dental Clinic and the Jackson District Dental Society, and additional private, state, and federal funding, the clinic expanded in May 2001. It has room for further expansion. Kaser said three nearby offices can be converted into operatories if the need arises.

Oral health care is dispensed from six operatories. The Center employs a staff of 80. Twelve work in the dental clinic—two full-time dentists, two full-time dental hygienists, four dental assistants, three receptionists, and a dental coordinator. The AEGD resident will be on site for a one-week rotation and return for a second one-week rotation at a later date. Another private practice dentist will work with the Center one day a week to provide oral surgery. Three or four others may soon follow, Kaser said. Two financial service advocates will also be available to help individuals complete forms and explore other possible services that might benefit them.

Dr. Thomas Veryser, director of Community Outreach Programs at the School of Dentistry, said, “Many patients we see at the School of Dentistry come from the Jackson area. This arrangement will now offer them greater convenience since we will be able to serve this patient population in their own community.”

Kaser said, “This partnership will benefit everyone—the Center, the dental school, and most importantly, patients who come to us for treatment.”

The U-M School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction train future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. More information is available on the Web at http://www.dent.umich.edu.

School of DentistryAdvanced Education in General DentistrySchool of Public HealthJackson District Dental Societyhttp://www.dent.umich.edu