UAMS Dental Hygiene Clinic to Open in Mountain Home

By David Robinson

The clinic will serve as a satellite teaching location for dental hygiene students at the UAMS College of Health Related Professions. It will be open Thursdays and Fridays, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call 870-508-6302 or 870-425-2260.

Located at 421 West Wade Avenue, where the Mountain Home Christian Clinic has donated space, select dental hygiene services will be provided to the public for $25 per visit. An initial visit will include X-rays and dental cleaning that may include treatment for gum disease, depending on the patient’s need. The clinic does not provide restorative services such as extractions, fillings and crowns.

The services will be provided by UAMS students under the direct supervision of the faculty dental hygienist and instructor, Nancy Smith, a registered dental hygienist, and Derrick Johnson, D.D.S., faculty dentist.

The satellite program is made possible by the financial and staff support of the UAMS Area Health Education Center (AHEC) North Central, the provision of office and instructional space, library access and other support by ASU Mountain Home, and the guidance and support of many dentists in the Mountain Home community.

“We determined there was a need for additional dental hygienists in the area, and in working with dentists in the community and Arkansas State University – Mountain Home, we were able to start a small satellite of our program here in Little Rock,” said Ronald Winters, Ph.D., dean of the College of Health Related Professions. “Having a clinic provides us the opportunity to serve the public, as well.”

Dennis Moore, director of AHEC North Central, believes the clinic will have a significant long-term impact on the dental health of residents in the area.

For example, he said, “The clinic will provide sealants for preschoolers next year, which will help them avoid tooth decay and keep their teeth years and years down the road.”

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a new 540,000-square-foot hospital, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has 2,775 students and 748 medical residents. Its centers of excellence include the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.