While improving oral health for children of our city, we provide valuable learning experiences for UMKC SoD dental and dental hygiene students. This partnership is a winning one because we work with elementary-high school students helping improve their oral health, engaging them with exposure to the oral health professions dentistry and dental hygiene. With the opportunity to learn about oral health careers and having positive care experiences, we build capacity and interest in these careers. By connecting UMKC students to the youth of University Academy (UA), the UA students can anticipate these health careers at UMKC. By working with the leadership of UA and its supporting Foundation, we found a shared way to facilitate this project which involved construction and staffing. Now we have graduates of UA as students at the School of Dentistry. By connecting unique institutions within Kansas City, we can begin to positively impact the trajectory of oral health and create opportunities for the future.
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Supporting the Community While Developing a Pipeline
The UMKC School of Dentistry works with a K-12 Charter School to provide oral health services, in place, in the urban core of Kansas City.
ongoing: UMKC dental and dental hygiene students rotate to the onsite dental clinic at UA as a part of their clinical training.
