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Nick DeBoer, a 2013 UDM Dentalgraduate, says he wasn’t surewhat to expect when he beganhis off-site rotations last year. “Ithought I’d seen it all,” says DeBoer,referring to the patients he had treatedon campus.But those experiences did not preparehim for the population he saw duringhis two-week rotation in Detroit, as aparticipant in UDM Dental’sCommunity Based Dental Education(CBDE) program. DeBoer says that heand his fellow students often struggledto meet the needs of patients who hadmultiple, complex dental issues—whichwere frequently the result of a prolongedlack of access to regular, preventativedental care.His two-week rotation in Grand Rapidswas even more eye-opening. The clinicwhere he served was about a mile fromdowntown, and the population waspredominantly Hispanic. Most of thepatients there were pediatric, and heneeded a translator to talk with many ofthem, and their families.“Grand Rapids is my home town,” saysDeBoer, “and I couldn’t believe howmany underserved people there were inmy own community.”Combatting the “Dental Divide”DeBoer’s experiences point to atroubling nationwide trend: The rapidlygrowing number of people who lackaccess to regular dental care. Accordingto the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, that number jumpedfrom 33 million to 49 million from 2011to 2012—an increase of more than 48percent in just one year.The problem isn’t a shortage of dentists,says Dr. Bill Calnon, president of theAmerican Dental Association (ADA),but rather—an uneven distribution ofdentists, and the relatively small numberof dentists who participate in Medicaidand other state and federal programsthat serve mainly low-income families.This combination of factors is creatingwhat the ADA is calling a “dentaldivide” that is affecting many poorcommunities, and in particular,those communities that havepredominantly African American,Hispanic or Native Americanpopulations. This is especially true inMichigan—which has significantpockets of both urban and rural poverty,a growing immigrant population, andwhere, according to the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics, approximately41 percent of children are enrolled inMedicaid.In the late 1990’s, the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation (RWJF) conductedresearch aimed at better understandingthe causes of this growing discrepancyin access to care—and focused ondeveloping ways to address it. Theirresearch demonstrated that studentswho had opportunities to work withpatients in underserved communities notonly had greater satisfaction, andgreater confidence in dealing with thetreatment needs of these patients—but also a greater willingness to pursueDr. Lyn Eickholt (‘08) and Dr. Lauren Jefferson (‘11) bothchose to pursue careers at Covenant Community Care Clinic20 LEADING EDGE SUMMER 2013
career opportunities in underservedareas upon graduation.Consequently, in 2001, the RWJFfounded a “dental pipeline” program,which encouraged dental schools acrossthe nation to establish community-baseddental education programs, integratecommunity-based service learningopportunities into their educationalprograms, strengthen course offerings incultural content, and implementprograms to increase the recruitmentand retention of underrepresentedminority and low-income students.Impressed by the success of thisapproach, UDM Dental decided toestablish its own program in 2007.UDM Dental student Brent Hazelwood (‘14) and Covenant Community Care dental assistantJacqueline Spencer work together to help a patientcontinuedCommunity Based DentalEducation—a “win-win” approachUDM Dental’s Community BasedDental Education (CBDE) programbegan as a modest effort, incollaboration with HamiltonCommunity Health Network, in Flint.Since then, the CBDE program hasgrown dramatically, and now operatesin collaboration with seven independent,private, clinics across the state, including:Detroit Community Health Center,DetroitCovenant Community Care, DetroitMichigan Community Dental Clinics,Samaritan Dental Clinic, DetroitHerman Keifer Pediatric Clinic,DetroitFamily Health Center, KalamazooHamilton Community HealthNetwork, FlintCherry Street Health Services,Grand RapidsAs the program has grown, it has alsobecome a more established part of theUDM Dental student experience, andcurriculum. In 2010, Dr. DiveshByrappagari was hired as UDM Dental’sDirector of Community Programs, tooversee the School’s community-basededucational activities. Since assumingleadership for the program,Byrappagari has developed a newcourse (DSD 8470-Clinical ServiceLearning) that is based on the CBDEprogram model. That course is nowrequired for all UDM Dental students,prior to graduation.“This course, and the experiences itprovides, represent a ‘win-win’approach,” says Byrappagari. “In theshort term, more underserved patientsgain better access to care. In the longerterm, this positive communityexperience may influence graduates totreat vulnerable populations in theirprivate practices, or to work inunderserved areas.”WWW.DENTAL.UDMERCY.EDU 21
Page 1 and 2: THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF D
Page 3 and 4: LEADING EDGEThe University of Detro
Page 5 and 6: WWW.DENTAL.UDMERCY.EDU 3
Page 7 and 8: September, 2013Play Ball!Come join
Page 9 and 10: Taste of DiversityEach year, the UD
Page 11 and 12: New Alumni ReceptionAdded to Commen
Page 13 and 14: Graduate Kathleen Pollock leads the
Page 15 and 16: Alumni Celebrateat the Henry HotelO
Page 17 and 18: Ms. Julie HamiltonDr. Eric Krukonis
Page 19 and 20: Dr. Linda WebermanDr. Linda Weberma
Page 21: School of Dentistry SaysGoodbye to
Page 25 and 26: Blau. Eventually, I had opportuniti
Page 27 and 28: DIVERSITYDental Imprint ProgramExpl
Page 29 and 30: Student Research and Academic Leade
Page 31 and 32: In Memoriam of Dr. Joseph IngraoOnc
Page 33 and 34: CONTINUING EDUCATIONTo register, or
Page 35 and 36: ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT’S LETTERFa

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