Dental Connections Ribbon Cutting Held for New, State-of-the-Art Mobile Dental Unit
Posted on October 8, 2024 in Foundation
Dental Connections held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new, state-of-the-art mobile dental unit on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 at 4 p.m. at Edmunds Elementary in Des Moines. Speakers included Dr. Ian Roberts, District Superintendent for Des Moines Public Schools and April Schmaltz, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa.
In 2023, Dental Connections began a fundraising campaign to purchase a new mobile dental clinic to sustain and expand the reach of its current Smile Squad mobile dental clinic program. The new mobile clinic will replace an aging unit helping to increase program efficiency and capacity.
Oral health care is central to the overall health and development of children. Initially launched in 2003, the Dental Connections Smile Squad provides mobile dental services to underserved students across the Des Moines metro. As a community-based dentistry program, the Smile Squad eliminates transportation barriers by delivering dental care directly to those in need.
While the priority will continue to be serving children and adults in the Des Moines metro, this new state-of-the-art mobile unit will allow the program to expand services with new partners and reach more individuals locally and in rural areas across the state.
During the past school year, almost half of students who received care from the Smile Squad mobile dental unit did not have dental insurance and over two-thirds had not seen a dentist in the previous 12 months. The Smile Squad provides dental care to students regardless of insurance status.
“School-based dental clinics are an effective way to ensure students have access to needed treatments and routine preventive care by bringing services to students, where they are and eliminating many barriers to care,” said Suzanne Heckenlaible, executive director of Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation, a major donor to the campaign. “Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation is a long-time partner and supporter of Dental Connections’ Smile Squad program and its goals to improve access to dental care and educate students on the importance of good oral hygiene.”
In addition to metro-area schools, the Smile Squad mobile dental clinic provides onsite care for homeless youth shelters, women’s shelters, veterans’ events, and more.
“Every year, new organizations and schools contact us to request visits from the Smile Squad,” said Carly Ross, executive director of Dental Connections. “Mobile dentistry is one way we are working to fulfill our mission of providing more equitable access to oral healthcare in Iowa.”