Media Advisory: UB dental school partners with TeamSmile and Buffalo Bills to offer free oral care to underserved kids

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine is partnering with the national organization TeamSmile to provide a slate of free dental services to approximately 260 local schoolchildren on Thursday, April 2, at the Buffalo Bills ADPRO Sports Training House in Orchard Park.

This is UB’s third year to partner with TeamSmile, a Kansas City, Mo.-based nonprofit organization that pairs oral health professionals with athletic organizations to provide dental care to underserved children in communities across the country.

Faculty and students from UB’s occupational therapy (OT) program, SUNY Erie’s dental hygiene and dental assisting programs, and D’Youville University’s speech-language pathology and OT programs also will participate.

The visiting patients, who range from kindergarteners through 12^th graders, will receive a mix of preventative care, including cleanings and fluoride treatments, and restorative care, including fillings and extractions, in units stationed across the practice field.

“We’re excited to participate again with TeamSmile in this effective prevention and treatment program,” says Elisabeth Thompson, clinical instructor and occupational therapist in UB’s Department of Pediatric and Community Dentistry, who is overseeing this year’s event in conjunction with the TeamSmile staff.

She notes that 40 of the children attending this year have been identified as having developmental disabilities, including communication disorders and autism.

“We’ll have students from both OT programs and D’Youville’s new speech language program there during the day to help communicate the needs of children with disabilities and make them feel at home,” she says.

Billy, the Buffalo Bills mascot, a few Bills players and a DJ, will also make the day fun and less intimidating for the young guests. In total, 150 volunteers will be present, offering educational games and puzzles, dental hygiene demonstrations, lawn games, face painting and dance opportunities.

When: Thursday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Media are invited to attend between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Where: Buffalo Bills ADPRO Sports Training House, 1 Bills Drive, Orchard Park, N.Y., 14127

On-site contacts: Edward Morrison, chief marketing officer, 716-955-0393, and Sarah Smykowski, associate director of communications and web, 716-725-2908, both of UB’s School of Dental Medicine.

Filling in the gaps in dental care

This year’s participating schools include Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center (Rosewood location), Buffalo Academy of Science Charter School on Doat Street, and elementary, middle and high schools in the Gowanda, Salamanca, Eden, North Collins and Springville/Colden school districts.

“This year, I chose to invite many rural schools where the nurses reported seeing a neglect of oral health,” Thompson says.

More than half the children treated throughout the TeamSmile program nationwide do not have a dental home, notes Kami Thomas, senior director of programming for TeamSmile.

Providing dental care that day and beyond

Through the program, the dental professionals and volunteers aim to fulfill three main goals.

“The first, obviously, is to get children the dental care they need that day. In every city in which we hold this event, we see children who are actually in pain,” Thomas says. “Second, we want to combat any kind of fear the children have of the dentist. We really work with the volunteers to make the event welcoming and offer as many activities as possible to make the kids happy. Third, for the kids who don’t have a dentist, we want to connect them with one after the event is over.”

To achieve the third goal, TeamSmile has a dental home coordinator who tries to match children with dentists practicing as close to their home zip codes as possible.

“The dental office then calls the parents, saying, ‘I understand your child was at a TeamSmile event, and we’d love to schedule a follow-up appointment,’” Thomas explains. “Our coordinator will then track these families for about a year to see who has followed up.” 

First, the children need to have a positive experience at the TeamSmile event.

“Buffalo is one of our model programs because of the buy-in we have from UB,” Thomas says. “Elisabeth’s work with the kids is so well done, and we get so much accomplished in a short amount of time. The feedback we get is that the volunteers are happy, the children are happy, and the schools are happy.”

Thompson says she’s seen firsthand the positive effect the program can have on the participating children, particularly ones with developmental disabilities.

She recalls a 6-year-old boy with autism who wasn’t tolerating having his teeth brushed at home and wasn’t seeing a dentist.

“We put varnish on his teeth, and he cried afterward because he was little overwhelmed by everything,” she says. “But when I brought my fourth-year dental students into that boy’s school the following year to provide dental screenings, he insisted on seeing us.”

They also learned that the boy now brushes his teeth and loves seeing the dental students. He will be returning to the TeamSmile event this year.

“I tell my dental students: You may not see it today, but you’re making an impact in someone’s life by outreach efforts such as TeamSmile,” she says. “It’s so gratifying.”

Since its inception in 2007, TeamSmile has conducted more than 350 programs, serving more than 65,000 children and providing more than $24 million in free dental care and oral health education nationwide.

Presenting partners of the Buffalo event are Colgate, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, and United Concordia Dental Insurance Co.