MPCA News

Dental Hygiene Students Partner With Migrant Health Program

Students being supervised by the on-site dentist

“Is this going to hurt?” was the last thing Manuel Gonzalez said before the dental hygiene student inserted a probe in his mouth. 

Driving up South Finley Point Road, you may have done a double take, to see a  31’ RV, awning extended,  tent pagoda pitched, and three to five people laying down on lawn chairs, and is that someone sticking tools in their mouths?!   If you look at the banner stretched across the pagoda, you will see that these are MSU-Great Falls College of Technology Dental Hygiene students with their hands in people’s mouths.

2006 marks the first of what is planned to be an annually coordinated effort between the MSU- Great Falls College of Technology and the Migrant Health Program of the Montana Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Council, Inc. The walk-in clinics will be preceptor sites for the Dental Hygiene Program where clinic patients will receive much needed oral health care.  The students are supervised by dentists.  “The oral health care our patients receive through our clinics is often their only care,” said Maria Stephens, Executive Director of the Council.  Stephens said the collaboration resulted in over 500 additional patient visits in almost a two week period.  “Students donated 694 hours of preventive oral health care, with compassion,” said Stephens.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for the program (Dental Hygiene Program) to reach out into the community…” said Bonnie Lederman, DDS, Director of the Dental Hygiene Program at  MSU-Great Falls College of Technology and supervising dentist of this year’s collaboration.

Planning for the coordinated effort began in January.  “We are such different operations, but we knew we could make this work,” Stephens stated.    “…this was an important project that warranted lots of preparation time in order to succeed.  We made daily contacts.”  Lederman acknowledged that the Migrant Council had provided exceptional support throughout the development. 

Farmworkers waiting in line for dental care at the Migrant Health Program mobile clinic at  the Finley Point Cherry Packing plant.

 “It is no easy job to provide primary and preventive health care in a clinic that moves,” said Stephens.  “Dr. Lederman and the dental hygiene students are some of the most resourceful, dedicated and well-organized people I’ve met, outside my own staff. On behalf of our patients, my staff and myself, I want the Dental Hygiene Program participants to know how much we appreciate the sacrifice they made to provide oral health care to the farmworkers here. They brought the equipment and supplies they needed, that we didn’t have.  They didn’t complain or have to be waited on.  They just came and did their job.” 

The Dental Hygiene Program participants earned their own funds to pay for their stay at local campgrounds in the area between Finley Point and the village of Big Fork, Montana.  “I had an outstanding group of students,” said Lederman.   The students provided  preventive and educational care such as cleanings, oral hygiene instructions and sealants. Everyone received oral home care aids, tooth brushes, toothpaste, and floss. In addition, patients were offered restorative (fillings) and extractions services as needed in the Migrant Council dental mobile unit.  School screening and oral hygiene instructions were also provided to the children of the Migrant Education Program.  “The amount of experience gained in such a short amount of time was invaluable,” said Lederman.

“I don’t mind having the dentist work on me out in this field,” said Gonzalez, who does farm work in Montana, Washington and Oregon. “There is no way I can pay for a dentist to see me, and my mouth is important to me. Tooth pain is awful, and there’s no way can I work well if I am in pain.”   

Montana Primary Care Association 1805 Euclid Avenue Helena, MT 59601 Phone: (406) 442-2750 Fax: (406) 449-2460