Edgewood students receive free dental care

An Edgewood ISD second-grader is treated by UT Health San Antonio dental students.

About 600 Edgewood Independent School District second-graders received preventive care Feb. 8-9 from dental students from UT Health San Antonio’s School of Dentistry during a free dental clinic held in conjunction with National Children’s Dental Health Month.

This is the 15th year that dental students, supervised by UT Health San Antonio faculty dentists, have provided preventive oral health care for Edgewood ISD students.

In February 2017, 722 children were evaluated and 83 were referred to dentists in community health clinics for follow-up urgent care. The sealants provided in 2017 had a value of $64,209 based on $51 per sealant and $193,676 in professional services to place them, based on average private dental practice fees. These services were provided to the Edgewood students at no cost.

Gary Guest, B.S., D.D.S., associate dean of the School of Dentistry, said 10,000 elementary school students have been served during the 15 years the preventive screenings have been offered.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Inc. provided a grant of $15,000 for the sealants and other dental materials used in this year’s two dental clinics.




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