ANN ARBOR—Dental students from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry will provide oral health care to migrant workers and their families in northern lower Michigan June 30-July 25.

Sixteen dental students who begin the final year of their dental education in August will offer a range of free services at the Suttons Bay Elementary School at 310 Elm Street. Services include screenings, oral exams and cleanings. Extractions, fillings, and x-rays will also be performed, when needed.

Children will receive care during the day while adults will be treated in the late afternoon or early evening. Portable equipment, including dental chairs, air, water and x-ray machines will be set up in classrooms.

Dental students will also educate children and adults about the proper way to care for their teeth, including brushing and flossing, and offer advice on other actions they can take to improve and maintain good oral health.

The annual program in the Traverse City area is one of the school’s most popular. More than twice as many students applied as were spots available for the four-week program. The 16 students will be supervised by Dr. Irma Galvaldon, a graduate resident at the U-M School of Dentistry. Dr. Robert Bagramian, professor of dentistry and director of the summer migrant dental clinic program, said the dental students selected to participate have demonstrated a commitment to serving others and are in the upper level of their class, both clinically and academically.

Last summer, dental students treated 320 patients, most between the ages of 6 and 12. They were screened and also received care that ranged from x-rays to extractions, and fillings amalgams and composites).

The University of Michigan 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 prepare 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. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit: www.dent.umich.edu.
The University of Michigan 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 prepare 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. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit: www.dent.umich.edu.