对于许多低收入家庭，服务不足的人以及休斯顿和东德克萨斯州的医学妥协的人，牙科牙科牙科牙科牙科牙科货车学院更加明亮的微笑和缓解疼痛。移动牙齿货车团队看到的许多患者在几个月或几年中都没有去过牙医。实际上，许多人根本从未去过牙医。

不一致或没有口腔护理意味着不仅仅意味着牙齿或口臭；它可能导致牙龈疾病，广泛的细菌感染甚至癌症。潜伏在口腔内部也可能是其他疾病的标志，例如心血管疾病，糖尿病和骨质疏松症。我们国家牙科护理中不断扩大的差距是由一个社会经济障碍划分的人，将那些能够负担得起的人与那些没有能力或访问的人，尤其是在农村社区中。

“Many of these dental patients do not have the money or financial support that others have,” says Sarelly Hinojosa, DDS ’21, who was a fourth-year dental student when she completed a clinical rotation on the Mobile Dental Van in 2021. She adds that the lack of education on oral health can cause significant issues. “It isn’t necessarily their fault. It is growing up without the knowledge of taking care of their teeth and how it impacts their overall health.”

在休斯敦，移动牙齿货车在耶和华的任务中提供服务，照顾经常是家庭暴力或持久经济困难的妇女，以及顿悟社区健康外展服务，帮助移民和没有保险的人。货车在东德克萨斯州的贾斯珀（Jasper）和奥兰治县（Orange Counties）之间进行了延长的旅行，并通过贾斯珀·牛顿县公共卫生区和奥兰治基督教服务提供服务。

“在贾斯珀（Jasper）和橙色县（Orange Counties），我们的目标是为患者提供尽可能多的全面护理，” Margo Y. Melchor，EDD，RDH，他领导牙科学院社区外展计划。“可能是病人来牙齿疼痛，我们将解决直接问题。也许这是一颗牙齿破裂的牙齿，或者他们的嘴里没有很多牙齿，因此他们需要回来以获取剩余的拔牙或恢复性牙齿，我们为他们提供临时局部义齿的护理。”

Sarelly补充说：“很多患者告诉我们，他们不能因为没有钱而去牙科办公室。”“大多数人口都是低收入的，其中许多人对所有健康问题的教育程度较小，而不仅仅是牙科健康。这会导致糖尿病和高血压等慢性疾病，他们宁愿花钱去控制它，而不是去看牙医。这就是他们的牙齿变得如此糟糕的原因之一。”

除了改善休斯顿和其他得克萨斯州社区的健康外，移动牙齿货车还为下一代牙科专业人员提供了重要的教育机会。

萨利说：“我认为我真正喜欢的是，我觉得自己是那里的牙医，而不仅仅是提供牙科治疗的学生。”“我们从头到尾负责他们的治疗。”

每年，在DDS的Debra Stewart的指导下，每天大约有44名牙科学生每天完成三到五名患者的轮换。在传统年份，牙科学生和牙科卫生学生都为患者提供护理。但是，为了限制Covid-19引起的接触，只有牙科学生目前在货车上服役。

If a patient’s teeth get so bad that they need multiple teeth removed, the case becomes more complicated. “Long-term, there’s a lot of bone loss, and if you don’t get that taken care of in a timely manner, it can affect restoring their smile with prosthetic work,” explains Sarelly. “It just keeps getting more and more expensive as the problem progresses.”

Since the launch of the很多面孔。一个使命。运动，移动牙齿货车计划为近1,500名患者提供了近150万美元的未经许可护理，包括牙齿拔牙，清洁和牙科教育。

“Some of our patients mentioned that, because of their unaesthetic teeth and smile, they could not find decent work,” explains Sarelly, adding that it contributes to the cycle of poverty. “And of course, one of the main concerns is overall health. Without teeth and good function, they aren’t able to eat healthy or get good nutrition.”

“The arrival of the Mobile Dental Van is both greatly anticipated and much needed,” says Judy K. Jensen, Executive Director of Orange Christian Services. “We see the patients come in with extreme pain and discomfort and leave with relief and the beginnings of good oral health. It is our fervent hope and prayer that the dental clinics can continue their outreach of serving the unmet dental needs of Orange County.”

After hundreds of thousands of miles and nearly 20 years of service, the Mobile Dental Van program was sorely in need of a new set of wheels. Mounting maintenance costs started imposing significant financial strain, causing lost days of community care and education opportunities.

认识到这项服务的固有价值，社区支持者做出了重大贡献，包括T.L.L.Temple Foundation，Delta Dental Community Care Foundation和H.H.和Edna Houseman Charitable Foundation以及A-Dec Inc.的牙科设备捐赠，以购买并完全配备新车。

Additional support was garnered through a crowdfunding campaign, which relies on the collective power of a large number of small gifts to make a sizeable contribution. Some donors have also given generously of their time, such as Nina Lefeiste, DDS ’88, who serves as an adjunct faculty once a week in Orange County.

“我们都去帮助我们的病人和牙科provide them with the best type of treatment we can,” says Sarelly. “If we had additional philanthropy, maybe we could give our patients more options like root canals to help preserve their teeth and smiles. That in turn helps students like me have more hands-on experience and feel more confident in our skills.”

预计新型移动牙齿货车将在2022年中期开始临床服务。该货车将配备三个装备齐全的操作员和轮椅升降机。梅尔乔（Melchor）期待有机会增加额外的服务，以提供护理的访问权，以减少口腔健康差异。

“The new van will allow us to expand our services to patients, adding additional days of community outreach services and providing our students with valuable clinical experience,” says Melchor. “Our donors have always shown a dedication to helping those in need, and their continued support will allow us to take the Mobile Dental Van program even further.”

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