From a press release:
Eblen Charities dental sealant partnership begins sixteenth year of service
Children in the Buncombe County and Asheville City School Systems will have a reason to smile beginning Friday, Jan. 9, as the Eblen Charities Dental Sealant Partnership begins its sixteenth year of service to students in our community.
This Friday, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community will once again open their doors to host the Eblen Dental Sealant Clinic and will do so each Friday until the end of May.
Johnston Elementary School will start off the program this year that will serve hundreds of children and seal thousands of teeth.
This partnership was developed to provide dental sealants to all second graders in need in the Buncombe County and Asheville City School Systems at no charge to the students, their families, or the school system.
“This is a vital program that is unique to our community,” states Dr. Keith Black, Orthodontist and chairman of Seal the State in ‘98 Dental Initiative, “Eblen Charities has developed a number of dental programs along with the Buncombe County Dental Society to assist children with emergency dental needs. So much of dental health is about prevention and avoiding decay and that can lead to more serious problems. The sealant program helps provide that prevention.”
In partnership with the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, the Buncombe County Health Center, The Buncombe County Dental Society, area dental hygienists and dental assistants, the Janirve Foundation, Mission Hospital Foundation, Densply, Inc. Patterson Dental Supply, Buncombe County and Asheville City Schools, the Eblen Dental Sealant Partnership has since its inception, sealed more than 20,000 teeth and served more than 5,000 children.
Working together, through this partnership, costs have been drastically reduced from more than $100 per tooth to less than 20 cents per tooth. The Eblen Dental Sealant Program has been honored with regional and national awards including the GlaxoSmithKline Child Health Recognition award and the National Linkages Award.
Once again, costs of the Dental Sealant Program will be underwritten in great part by a generous donation from Dr. Jack Teague. “It is an honor for me to help with this program in this respect. Eblen Charities has made an impact in western North Carolina in so many aspects and especially with the sealant program partnership during these past years. It is a pleasure to work with such a positive group and program that has been so effective,” says Dr. Teague.
Visit eblencharities.org for more information on the Eblen Dental Sealant Partnership or to volunteer.
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