UAB Dentistry students, faculty, staff and alumni provided needed dental services. More than 500 underserved and homeless people in the Birmingham area received teeth cleanings, restorations and extractions at no cost as part of the third annual UAB Dentistry Cares Community Day on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry.
Organized by the UAB School of Dentistry, many volunteers took part in the annual daylong charitable event, including partners from Cahaba Valley Health Care and other local dentists, health agencies and companies.
Through generous sponsor and community support, UAB is among very few dental schools in the country to host this type of benevolent event.
“UAB Dentistry Cares Community Day provides a platform for UAB faculty, staff, students and alumni to join forces with the community in service to people in need,”said Michael Reddy, DMD, D.M.Sc., dean of the UAB School of Dentistry.“I’m proud of the way the UAB community responds to help facilitate this important event. It was an exhilarating day.”
UAB partnered with the dental clinics at the Christ Health Center and The Foundry as treatment provider sites. These new event partners joined the School of Dentistry, along with Cahaba Valley Health Care, the Fortis Institute School of Dental Hygiene and many local volunteers, to meet the urgent dental needs of attendees.