Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Director, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

4/02/08
Story by Peggy Graham

JCCC Unveils Oral Health on Wheels

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. –  There’s an old joke that says, “Be true to your teeth, or they’ll be false to you.” But lack of oral health care is no laughing matter to people who have no means to pay for it and no transportation to dental care.

Johnson County Community College is unveiling its Oral Health on Wheels, a 40-foot mobile dental clinic, from 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday, May 1, in the Welding Lab Building parking lot, as a way to give JCCC dental hygiene students experience in the public health sector and provide oral health care services to the underserved. The event is free and open to the public with tours and refreshments available.

The two-chair mobile unit is equipped so that supervised JCCC students can perform routine screenings and preventative care – cleanings, fluoride treatments, x-rays, referrals, sealants and nutritional guidance. The target population for the JCCC mobile unit is underinsured and uninsured children, and children and adults with physical disabilities.

“The purpose of OHOW is to expand the clinical learning experiences of the JCCC dental hygiene student. Students will be able to increase their clinical competence by treating clients in this innovative educational setting,” said Heather Flick, JCCC professor, dental hygiene, and principal OHOW coordinator.

OHOW has been purchased with gifts from grant monies and in-kind donations. Capital donor names are displayed on the exterior of the vehicle. JCCC has committed to more than $80,000 annually to sustain the vehicle by providing insurance, maintenance, fuel and storage, as well as full-time staff salaries.

“Oral diseases are preventable if people have access to dental care,” Flick said. “The Oral Health on Wheels will eliminate the transportation barrier for clients by bringing dental care to communities.”

Features of the OHOW include wheelchair accessibility, twin 2-ton ducted air conditioners for infection control. sterile storage area, AM/FM radio and CD players with speakers in each room, intake and patient education areas, x-ray unit, refrigerator/freezer for dental supplies, water tanks, waste removal pumps, flatscreen TV and all the equipment of a sophisticated dental treatment room – powered-lift dental chairs, dental units, stools, mobile carts, sterilizers and cabinets.

Community members interested in attending should RSVP by April 25 to (913) 469-3835 or foundation.dept@jccc.edu.