From the #deltadentalARFoundation: As one of only two free dental clinics in Northwest Arkansas, WelcomeHealth: Northwest Arkansas' Free Health Center in Fayetteville sees patients who tell heart-rending tales of desperation: They’ve used household pliers to pull their own teeth, they had to choose between pain medication for severe tooth pain and food for their children or they were turned away at the emergency room with nothing but a prescription for antibiotics they couldn’t afford.

More than 60,400 Northwest Arkansas residents are estimated to live in poverty, with most of them lacking health or dental insurance. 

WelcomeHealth is one of the few health centers where they can receive free quality medical and limited dental care, supported, in part, with grants from the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation. 

Since the dental clinic opened in 1988, it has provided more than 60,000 dental treatments, mainly extractions. A comprehensive dental care and dental hygiene program, which was added a few years ago, is currently on hold due to the pandemic and funding shortages. Volunteer dentists perform the emergency dental extractions and exams. Most patients are in their 40s and 50s, but some are as young as 18. 

Low-income patients tend to have poor oral health for many different reasons, Executive Director Monika Fischer Massie explains. 

They might not know the basics of brushing and flossing and share a single toothbrush among several family members. Or low literacy levels might prevent them from educating themselves about the importance of good oral hygiene. The lack of dental insurance typically means a lack of access to affordable, comprehensive dental care. 

Yet parents can make a difference, Fischer-Massie says. “If brushing and flossing are taught by the parents, the children learn that it’s important to brush their teeth. They look to their parents as role models.”

It’s one of WelcomeHealth’s goals to expand its services to offer an oral education program for members of its community. The knowledge of proper dental hygiene could break the link between poor oral health and poverty.  

Our Foundation fully funded the 2021 Community Grant request from WelcomeHealth and we’re eager to approve your transformational oral health project in 2022. Apply now through Aug. 20 for a #CommunityGrant here. 

 

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