Free screenings, x-rays and treatment plans for 15 community members, plus real clinical experience for the students who provided them
Fifteen Lewiston-area residents received free dental screenings and x-rays and nearly all scheduled follow-up care through the University of Maine at Augusta’s Fall Into Health event Oct. 5, while UMA dental hygiene students gained clinical experience working directly with patients.
The daylong event at the UMA Lewiston Center provided participants with dental screenings, X-rays and personalized treatment plans at no cost. According to UMA dental health faculty, comparable services at a dental practice in Maine typically cost an uninsured patient between $150 and $300. Fourteen of the fifteen people who attended scheduled follow-up appointments for the spring semester.
Students worked directly with patients under faculty supervision throughout the day. Ten students saw patients during the morning session and eight participated in the afternoon. When they were not working in the clinic, students reviewed medical histories and treatment plans, discussed oral health care and took part in additional learning activities throughout the Lewiston Center.
“This is a great way for people in the Lewiston area to learn that UMA offers dental hygiene services right in their community,” said Una Purvis, lecturer of dental health at UMA. “Our students get meaningful experience working with patients, and community members get connected to care close to home.”
The combination of community care and hands-on education comes as Maine continues to need formally trained dental professionals. The Maine Department of Labor projects an average of 197 openings for dental assistants and 65 openings for dental hygienists statewide each year through 2034.
UMA offers Dental Assisting and Expanded Functions Dental Assisting at its Lewiston Center, providing students in the region with access to education and clinical training close to home. UMA’s Dental Assisting program, offered in Lewiston and Bangor, is the only Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited dental assisting program in Maine. The Lewiston Dental Clinic also provides dental hygiene and expanded function dental assisting services to the public, connecting student learning with access to affordable oral health services in the community.
Community members interested in dental services at the UMA Lewiston Center, or in learning more about UMA’s dental health programs, can find additional information at uma.edu/lewiston.