UB partners with TeamSmile, SUNY Erie and Bills to offer free dental care to underserved kids

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine is partnering with TeamSmile and the SUNY Erie Dental Hygiene program to provide a half-day of free dental care to students from eight area elementary schools on Friday, April 4, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

This is UB’s third year to partner with TeamSmile, a Kansas City, Missouri-based nonprofit organization that pairs oral health professionals with athletic organizations to provide dental care to underserved children in communities across the country. The children were all preselected, and the event is not open to the public.

The approximately 235 children attending on Friday will receive a mix of preventive care, including cleanings and fluoride treatments, and restorative care, including fillings and extractions. Fourteen treatment units and 16 hygiene units will be stationed in the stadium’s Toyota Club and Dunn Tire Club suites.

“More than half of the children we see do not have dental homes,” noted Kami Thomas, director of TeamSmile. “We recently held an event where 60 to 70% of parents marked on the back of the consent form that their children did not have a dentist. It’s really heartbreaking.”

To create a fun atmosphere for the children, Billy, the Buffalo Bills mascot, will be on hand interacting with the children, along with a few Bills players and a disc jockey. In total, some 175 volunteers will be present, offering educational games, dental hygiene demonstrations, facepainting and dance opportunities for the young visitors.

The TeamSmile event is open to the media during the following times:

When: Friday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Where: Highmark Stadium, (Toyota and Dunn Tire suites), One Bills Dr., Orchard Park, New York, 14127.

On-site contacts: Edward Morrison, chief marketing officer, 716-955-0393, and Sarah Smykowski, associate director of communications and web, 716-725-2908.

Inclusive and therapeutic environment for kids with disabilities

For the second year in a row, UB is including children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the TeamSmile event, thanks to a successful pilot program spearheaded last year by UB occupational therapist Elisabeth Thompson. She also serves as a clinical instructor of health sciences in the dental school and has worked for 25 years with children with IDD. 

“The pilot program last year was such a success, TeamSmile not only asked us to repeat it this year, but also to replicate it in other cities,” said Thompson, who was invited to participate in TeamSmile events in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Kansas City.

“I’m thrilled that we are again able to integrate dental care and occupational therapy to create a collaborative, personalized experience that leads to better outcomes and make visits enjoyable for the children,” she said. “It’s a win for everyone.”

Ten occupational therapist master’s students will join Thompson on Friday, communicating with the dentists and hygienists about each child’s age, diagnosis, abilities, and any concerns they may have.

“We work together in synchrony to make each child feel really comfortable and successful during their dental cleaning or treatment,” Thompson said.

About 30 children identified with IDD are coming from the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center and Buffalo Public School 45.

Other participating schools are Buffalo Public Schools 94 and 99, Buffalo Academy of Science, Colden Elementary, North Collins Elementary, Springville Elementary and Prospect Elementary in Salamanca, New York.

“When the pilot program was launched last year, there was some concern about bringing kids with disabilities into such a large and noisy area,” said Meelin Dian Chin Kit-Wells, DDS, clinical associate professor of pediatric and community dentistry who specializes in providing dental care to children with disabilities. “It turned out beautifully. Kudos to Elisabeth for her work in setting it up and to TeamSmile for listening to us.”

Including this population is important for many reasons, not least of which is children with IDD are not seen in dental offices as much as the general population, Thomas noted.

“During this event, we’re doing a couple of things to rectify the situation,” she said. “First, we’re providing a dental service for the children, sometimes for the very first time. Secondly, we’re getting the children acclimated to dental care in a relaxed environment. If they haven’t been to a dentist before, it can be really scary, even more so than for a child who doesn’t have these challenges.”

Connecting children with dental homes

Beyond this one day of free care, the goal of TeamSmile is to connect participants with ongoing dental treatment. After the event, the UB dental school faculty and staff will provide participants’ parents with lists of dental providers in Western New York who could offer them a dental home. The dental school staff will also follow up throughout the year.

“TeamSmile can be a life-changing experience for these kids through the power for sports,” Chin Kit-Wells said. “But it also provides an excellent opportunity for us to help underserved children receive continued dental care.”

Since its inception in 2007, TeamSmile has conducted more than 300 programs, served more than 55,000 children and provided more than $21 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.