Special to the Enquirer

Calhoun Community College has partnered the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) to provide free dental cleaning services to pregnant women, as well as children under the age of 17.

According to Sunnie McWhorter, Dental Hygiene Program Director, the partnership was established to help tackle the growing need for oral care among children and expecting mothers.

“We hope to bring in as many kids and expectant mothers as possible, and provide them with great oral care services before school begins,” McWhorter said. “Dental hygiene is one of those things that gets neglected so often. People assume if they are brushing and sometimes flossing here or there that they are fine, but that is hardly true. Seeing a dentist and receiving a professional cleaning is vital, and that is where our clinic can help.”

Students enrolled in Calhoun’s senior-level courses of the dental hygiene program will perform teeth cleanings as per their curriculum’s clinical requirements. Employees of ADPH will perform dental services as well. “Recent dental hygiene rankings for the United States have placed Alabama in the lower percentile,” Bret McGill, Calhoun Dean of Health Sciences said. “This means teaching children good dental habits must begin as early as possible, and that is the primary goal of our partnership with ADPH.”

During the opening of Calhoun’s new dental hygiene program and lab last year, state-of-the-art dental equipment was installed to provide one-on-one dental care to the community at a reduced rate. Services such as child and adult dental cleanings, treatment of gingivitis and periodontitis, dental x-rays, dental sealants, fluoride treatments, and teeth whitening will be available to the public beginning mid-August.

To learn more about the services provided in Calhoun’s dental clinic, or to make an appointment, visit www.calhoun.edu/dentalhygiene.