Service Near and Far
From Fullerton to Ensenada, the UCLA School of Dentistry is active in the community. Scroll down to learn about the recent dental health screen at Nara Bank and UCLA’s partnership with the Thousand Smiles organization in Mexico. Also in this issue, Dr. Sanders shares his insights with Southern California undergraduates contemplating dentistry as a career.
An Update on Student Outreach Activities
The UCLA School of Dentistry has a very active outreach and recruitment program with the goal of enrolling a highly qualified and diverse student body each year. Its strategy is to increase awareness of dentistry as an outstanding career option for college students. Interested students are given group and individual counseling where possible.
On May 18, 2006, Dr. Bruce Sanders spoke to the UC San Diego Pre-Dental Society directed by Dr. Irv Silverstein, a UCLA School of Dentistry General Practice Residency alumnus. More than 80 students attended.
Dr. Sanders gave presentations on "Management of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders" and "Admissions at the UCLA School of Dentistry." He also spent time with the students touring one of the three free dental clinics managed by the students and volunteer San Diego-area dentists. Afterward, Dr. Sanders and his wife joined the students for dinner.
Fourth Annual Nara Bank Dental Fair Treats More Than 150 Patients
On Saturday, July 15, 2006, the UCLA School of Dentistry and Nara Bank sponsored the Fourth Annual Dental Fair at Nara Bank’s Fullerton Branch. The event was very successful with more than 150 participants in attendance. All participants received free dental screening exams, oral hygiene instructions, dental home care kits, and free t-shirts. In addition, more than 25 children received dental sealants and fluoride varnish applications.
We would like to thank dental students Christine Chung, Carol Kim, Jeff Kim, Joanne Kim, Raquel Ulma, Yun Soo Park, Mi Jin Kim, Shanna Kim, Nuri Kim, Peter Lee, Yoon Chung; faculty members Drs. Mo Kang, Reuben Kim, and John Yamamoto; Venice AEGD resident Dr. Daniel Mego; and the Nara Bank branch staff for volunteering their time to give back to the community.
Delivering Smiles South of the Border
The 1,000 Smiles Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on caring for patients in Mexico who suffer from a lack of dental care and from maxillofacial deformities such as cleft palate. Twice each year, in February and in August, Dr. Tara Aghaloo organizes a team of UCLA faculty, residents and students that travels to Ensenada, Mexico to join forces with local oral surgeon Dr. Ricardo Troncoso for a marathon weekend of patient screenings, surgeries and follow-up visits.
The weekend of August 4-6, 2006, Dr. Freymiller led the UCLA group, which consisted of Drs. Steve Kupferman, Jim Olsen and Will Kenner, all residents in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and Dharmini Pathmanathan, a resident in pediatrics and orthodontics. One of the participants, Karen Li, organized the group of dental student volunteers including Jared Martin, Raquel Ulma, Rick Shamo, Solomon Poyourow and Jennifer Perkins. Dr. Tony Arredondo, a former UCLA OMS resident, also made the trip along with his partners Drs. Nick Veaco and Paul George.
Together, the team screened more than 100 patients and performed seven surgeries. They helped a diverse group of patients ranging from a toddler to a 29-year-old man who had never before been treated for his cleft lip and palate. This coming February, a new group of UCLA residents and students will accompany UCLA OMS faculty members to Ensenada to check up on their patients' care, and to perform follow-up and first-time surgeries.
In the seventeen years that UCLA has participated in this community service activity, we’re confident they’ve been responsible for many more than 1,000 smiles.
