Dental News - Henry Schein sponsors Global Student Outreach Program

Henry Schein Inc.

Thu. 15 July 2010

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NEW YORK, NY, USA: Henry Schein Inc., the largest distributor of health-care products and services to office-based practitioners, and the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry have announced a five-year sponsorship of the dental school’s national and international outreach programs — the NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program.

Through the sponsorship, Henry Schein will provide dental supplies to be used for each individual program throughout the year.

In 2010, the six geographic areas targeted for outreach include the tri-island nation of Grenada; Hudson, NY, USA; Chiquilistagua, Nicaragua; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Fort Yukon, Alaska, USA; with a program to be initiated in Machias, Maine, USA, in the fall. The program’s model is designed to be both clinically and financially sustainable.

The focus for clinical sustainability is in pediatric care, which is obtained through education, prevention and comprehensive care. In addition to oral health-care education, the program provides emergency dental services for adults and complete, comprehensive care for the pediatric population, including oral health screenings, fluoride varnish applications, sealants, restorative treatments, root canal therapy and extractions.

In many cases, there is also an opportunity to identify and train local members of the community to help extend oral health education and prevention on an ongoing basis.

“We are privileged to build on our two-decade strategic relationship with NYU College of Dentistry through this valuable oral health initiative that makes an important impact in underserved and at-risk communities around the world, while enriching the professional experience of students and faculty,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO for Henry Schein.

“This aligns well with our mission of ‘helping health happen’ through Henry Schein Cares, our global social responsibility program, by underscoring the importance of good oral health prevention programs on a long-term sustainable basis, and improvement in the quality of care for patients who will benefit from these outreach efforts,” Bergman said.

The first mission for 2010 took place in Grenada. A 43-member team of dental providers and public health specialists from the NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program spent two weeks in January performing a national oral health survey of the children and providing free oral health care to Grenadians. Henry Schein efficiently facilitated the international shipment of 1,500 pounds of requisite supplies and helped ensure that the team’s clinical operations ran smoothly.

During the mission, NYU dental team participants conducted a comprehensive nationwide oral public health assessment, which included the examination of 1,075 children at 22 schools throughout the country.

The findings of this assessment, as well as recommendations for the establishment of a sustainable oral health model for the country, were presented to the Grenadian Ministry of Health in June 2010. NYU dental team participants also provided free general and emergency dental care for hundreds of children and adults — including root canals, fillings and extractions — at the Tivoli Medical Clinic in St. Andrew’s Parish.

In addition, NYU dental team participants provided education for parents on the importance of preventive oral health care and provided free continuing professional education in both the specialties of pediatric dentistry and endodontics for dentists throughout Grenada. The NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program plans to return annually to Grenada to maintain the care provided to the children of Tivoli in St. Andrew’s Parish.

The second mission for 2010 took place in Chiquilistagua, Nicaragua. A dental team from the NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program travelled to Chiquilistagua and provided free emergency dental care for adult patients. The team also conducted oral health assessments and provided free fluoride varnish treatments and sealants for schoolchildren as part of the program’s sustainability and preventive oral health care model. More than 1,000 adults and children were treated throughout the duration of the program.

Subsequent missions for 2010 included NYU College of Dentistry Henry Schein Cares Global Student Outreach Program participants conducting various dental outreach programs in Hudson, N.Y. as well as a two-week trip north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska to Fort Yukon, Arctic Village, Circle and Venetie.

“Henry Schein shares NYU’s commitment to advancing global oral health, to providing and sharing working models for education and treatment, and to establishing sustainable community-based programs in areas of great need,” said Dr Charles N. Bertolami, dean of the NYU College of Dentistry.

“Over the past 16 years, the NYU College of Dentistry has developed a dental outreach program designed to reduce disparities in access to dental care resulting from geographic, physical, developmental, financial and cultural barriers,” Dr Bertolami said. “This has evolved to become a unique, sustainable model, with teams of dental faculty, students, post-graduate residents and staff annually participating in a series of week-long visits to underserved communities.”

“Our relationship with Henry Schein will help us further extend the scope and impact of this important initiative,” Dr Bertolami said.

The NYU College of Dentistry provides an extensive array of student outreach opportunities. Students have the opportunity to participate in local outreach programs for schoolchildren, the elderly, people with disabilities, the homeless and other underserved populations.

In 1993, the NYU College of Dentistry introduced an international outreach program, which started in the Dominican Republic and expanded to Jamaica, Honduras, Nicaragua, India and Tanzania. Early models included a venture with Miracle Corners of the World in Tanzania, providing education and clinical services to the communities of Arusha and Songea.

The clinical services also have expanded from an initial focus on emergency care to a more comprehensive approach that includes restorative care, endodontics, pediatric care and clinical sustainability.

(Edited by Fred Michmershuizen, DTA)

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