One California dental school celebrated Veterans Day by providing free oral health checkups for veterans. Several of the volunteers who conducted the screenings are attending dental school on military scholarships or are veterans themselves.
Dental team members and students from the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco evaluated more than 30 veterans during their annual screening event, now in its fifth year. Many of the volunteers had connections to the military, including having family members who served the U.S. Armed Forces or having served in the military themselves.
"Today I was speaking to a veteran, and he voiced his concern with getting a job, and how he's really wanted to improve his smile," said dental student Nataly Yoncee, an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Yoncee is currently pursuing her dental degree at the university on a military scholarship. "He's so grateful to be a veteran and how these opportunities, like being a patient at our school, can help."
All veterans who attended the event received a free dental checkup and oral cancer screening, with a pathologist onsite for further evaluation if needed. The volunteers also checked the veterans' blood pressure and provided them with a gift bag that included a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss.
"Most of what we find is the patient is in need of periodontal treatment or in need of direct or indirect treatment," said Desmond Gallagher, DDS, an assistant professor at the dental school and one of the volunteers. Dr. Gallagher is also a veteran of the British Army. "A few of them have multiple roots, the teeth have fractured, and they need extractions, maybe immediate dentures."
How to care for veterans in your community
Many volunteers, especially the veterans, emphasized the need for dental care in the veteran population, and they spoke about how existing outlets for treatment, such as through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), are often overwhelmed.
"Having been a veteran, I've received services at the VA hospital. You always see so much that they [veterans] need, and so many services that they can use to help improve their life," Yoncee said. "The VA system is so overwhelmed with all these veterans who need dental services."
If you're thinking about providing dental care for veterans in your community, several volunteers mentioned that contacting your local VA clinic is a good place to start. The VA may have or know of volunteer and contract opportunities, and the organization is willing to compensate dentists for treatment, Yoncee said. Other volunteers suggested reaching out to local dental societies to potentially team up on a screening event or for outreach to veterans.
"It's really a case of setting some time aside and really contacting local societies," Dr. Gallagher said. "Team up with your local dental association because they do a lot of outreach anyway, and doing it locally is something that can be advertised, particularly with local veterans."
Dr. Gallagher also noted that there are some challenges specific to working the veteran population. For example, quite a few veterans struggle to afford treatment, and many have complicated medical histories, including post-traumatic stress disorder. However, for him and the other volunteers, the event was well worth addressing any challenges.
"It's wonderful that we can take time out of a busy schedule to actually say thank you and recognize that what they've done is making us free to do this and to be in a free country as well," Dr. Gallagher said. "It's an incredibly rewarding job."
See the slideshow below for more highlights from the event.
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