American dentists in Wisconsin join forces to raise standards for low-income households
The Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) held a “Mission of Mercy” volunteer dental event this past weekend at Sheboygan North High School. The event was set up to treat people suffering from dental pain and infection, and also to educate patients about oral and dental health. The dental needs of 2037 adults and children were successfully met through treatments. About 953 dentistry volunteers helped out and people arrived from all over the state, including Milwaukee. Of the 953 volunteers, 160 were dental students from Marquette.
The event locations were split into colour-coded “triages”, such as the “Dental Triage” section with dental hygiene in green and “Medical Triage” section to channel people for treatments and information according to need. Even the school gym was used for teeth cleaning and scaling, teeth whitening, x-rays, tooth extraction, and oral surgery. Patients stood in line according to dental need priority. Translator volunteers were also provided for people speaking languages such as Spanish, and Hmong spoken by people from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and South China.
Companies like McDonald’s pitched in to provide the volunteers with free food and dental companies provided packs of toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste for patients. Within two days, people all over Wisconsin in dire need of dental treatment were provided the care needed for improved oral and dental health. A WDA Media Tour Guide is available in slides on the Milwaukee Dental Health Examiner website.
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