Bulletin of Dental Education Article

Since 1969, the Asheville Buncombe Community College Dental Hygiene Program, located in Wester, NC, has graduated dental hygiene students. Today, the program has approximately 20 graduates annually. In addition to creating a competent dental hygiene clinician, the program is dedicated to mentoring and fostering a strong sense of giving back to others through community outreach programs. Asheville Buncombe Community College students are given as many opportunities as possible to give back to their community and those in need.

Every September, senior dental hygiene students work with the North Carolina Baptist Ministries Mobile Dental Bus to care for workers over the course of a week at the Western North Carolina Mountain State Fair. The students participate in restorative and prophylactic care alongside local volunteer dentists. This is their first true community opportunity, and it never fails to be life changing for them. Asheville Buncombe Community College faculty excitedly look forward to seeing the changes in their students when they are given the opportunity to give back

The students are also given the opportunity to volunteer with a program called Recovered Smiles. Recovered Smiles is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing free preventive, restorative and reconstructive dental care to those struggling with drug and chemical dependency. This program shows students the true meaning of service to others. The patients are extremely grateful to receive oral health care, which makes this a rewarding experience for students every single time.   

When possible, students also participate in the Missions of Mercy (MOM) pop-up dental clinics. The North Carolina Dental Society Foundation hosts the portable, free MOM clinics as an outreach program. These clinics give the students an insight into the fast-paced aspect of patient care. It teaches them to be adaptable and work with the equipment available. 

All community outreach programs give students a foundational knowledge of the practice of dental hygiene, but community college believes emphasizing interpersonal communication skills is an important component needed in the dental hygiene profession.

The Asheville Buncombe Community College Dental Hygiene Program focuses on serving others by putting others first, looking beyond personal problems and thinking about what others need. The program teaches that the patient in a chair is the most important person at that moment, and they always deserve the best.

Courtesy of Asheville Buncombe Community College Dental Hygiene Program