NASHVILLE – Meharry Medical College, one of the nation’s oldest historically black academic health science centers, today launched a mobile dentistry clinic to bring critical dental services to patients living in underserved areas across the state. With the announcement, Meharry became the first academic institution in the state of Tennessee to own and operate a mobile dentistry unit.

Meharry launched a new Mobile Dentistry Clinic to provide critical dental care to Tennessee's underserved communities. Image courtesy of Meharry Medical College.

“Tennessee is facing a serious oral health crisis,” said Dr. James E.K. Hildreth, President and CEO of Meharry Medical College. “According to HRSA, only 29 percent of our state’s dental health needs are met because there is a shortage of dentists. This makes it difficult for Tennesseans to receive even the most basic dental services. By launching this mobile dentistry clinic, we are further delivering on our mission of serving the underserved by providing care to those who need it right in their own hometowns.”

Dr. Hildreth was joined by students and faculty of the Meharry School of Dentistry and members of the Meharry Board of Trustees at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Meharry’s campus to celebrate the launch of the mobile clinic. He expressed gratitude to the United Methodist Church (UMC), which helped fund the purchase of the clinic with a $300,000 grant; and to the Elgin Children’s Foundation of Knoxville, which sold the clinic to Meharry and shares the college’s mission to provide dental care to the underserved.

“This is a wonderful day as we stand beside Meharry and launch this mobile dentistry clinic,” said Cynthia A. Bond Hopson, Ph.D., Assistant General Secretary of the Black College Fund and Ethnic Concerns at the UMC General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. “At our core is the belief that we most fully demonstrate our love for God by loving our neighbors. Meharry students and faculty will be embodying this mission as they travel across the state and care for our neighbors who are in dire need of dental care.”

The mobile clinic will be staffed by third-year students at Meharry School of Dentistry, with faculty oversight. It is fully equipped with four dental chairs, a portable x-ray machine and office space. All treatments and exams typically given at a dental practice will be available to patients at the mobile clinic at reduced rates. The clinic also will accept most forms of insurance.

Following the launch, the clinic will go into immediate service, travelling to facilities across Tennessee to provide care to children who are in state custody. Currently, these children must travel individually from their facilities to dental offices in nearby communities. Meharry will bring care to the children on-site.

In coming months, Meharry will also unroll a schedule of clinic stops at churches and senior centers in communities across the state which do not have local dentists. Specifically, Meharry will focus its outreach on communities in Appalachia in East Tennessee where the population faces the largest disparities in the nation when it comes to oral health.

“Poor oral health has been directly linked to some of the most vexing diseases in our nation, including heart failure, diabetes, strokes and even premature, low-birth weights,” said Cherae Farmer-Dixon, D.D.S., Dean of Meharry’s School of Dentistry. “With the mobile health clinic, our students can now meet patients right where they are and provide critical dental services that they desperately need. We also will be partnering with area dental practices to ensure that those who visit in the mobile clinic have options for follow-up treatment should they need it.”

Farmer-Dixon said service on the mobile clinic will prepare students well for their future careers. Many of Meharry’s dental students will practice in communities similar to those the mobile clinic will be visiting. Of its alumni, more than 83 percent of graduates of the Meharry School of Dentistry practice in underserved areas and nearly 18 percent of all dental alumni set up practice in Tennessee.

“We are delighted that Meharry Medical College is able to make the very best use of this mobile clinic,” said Tim Rogers, Vice President of Operations of the Elgin Children’s Foundation. “The mission of the Elgin Children’s Foundation dovetails perfectly with Meharry’s. We are both rooted in a commitment to serve the most vulnerable in our local communities. We are excited about the impact that Meharry’s students and faculty will be making to dental health in Tennessee for years to come.”

For more information on Meharry’s School of Dentistry, please visit www.mmc.edu.

Meharry Medical College founded in 1876, is the nation’s largest private, independent historically black academic health center dedicated solely to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church related institution. The College is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s ranking of institutions annually lists Meharry as a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.