gator dentist today - College of Dentistry - University of Florida

Patient Care and Clinical Services
The UFCD Statewide Network for Community Oral Health
was created in 1997 to accomplish three main goals: 1. To
provide community-based learning experiences to pre-doctoral
(D.M.D.) and post-doctoral students; 2. Provide oral health
services to low-income residents who have poor access to dental
care; 3. Encourage the practice of dentistry in underserved
communities.
The college owns clinics in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg
and Hialeah and partners with 15 public and private not-forprofit
organizations throughout the state. Dental students and
residents provide care at clinic locations under the supervision
of full-time paid and courtesy faculty. Newest additions to the
network include the Hillsborough Community College Dental
Clinic on HCC’s Dale Mabry campus, and a new St. Petersburg
Clinic — now in the planning stages — on the campus of St.
Petersburg College in Pinellas County.
A student in the Foreign Trained Dentist Program
prepares to apply a fluoride prophy to a young
patient during the Give Kids a Smile event at
the Hialeah Dental Clinic. (Photo - Courtesy of
Hialeah Dental Clinic)
Total Patient Visits to UFCD-Owned Clinics
One of the underpinning principles of the college’s service
mission is to provide low-cost dental care to Florida’s
underserved residents. This treatment is delivered by dental
students, residents, courtesy faculty and faculty through
college-owned clinics and partner clinics in the Statewide
Network for Community Oral Health. Although any patient
in need will be treated in the clinics, the emphasis is placed on
providing treatment to patients at or below 200 percent of the
Federal Poverty Level.
The college’s community-based initiatives are funded
through a variety of mechanisms including contracts, grants,
clinical fees, donations, and support from the UF AHEC. In
addition, the college received approximately $800,000 from
the Florida Department of Health (DOH) fiscal year 2002-2003.
Although DOH requested a $1.3 million appropriation for the
Statewide Network for Community Oral Health, only $785,000
was appropriated due to shortfalls in the state budget.
Community Service and Educational Outreach
Dedication to serving others is a value we are especially
proud to report as one frequently demonstrated by UFCD
faculty and students. This service ethic can be seen in the
efforts of our students and faculty during national events
such as Give Kids a Smile, in the operatories of mobile
dental vans parked in remote locations scattered across
the state, or during foreign mission trips to far away lands
such as Southern Russia, the Ukraine, Ecuador, Mexico and
the Dominican Republic.
90,000
70,000
50,000
30,000
10,000
0
TTL
63145
83156
79554 78173
73643
1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002 2002-2003*