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he looks at the map.
For Louise Veselicky, DDS, interim dean of the WVU School of Dentistry, the map, which shows a county-by-county breakdown of dentists and hygienists in West Virginia, poses a challenge. The good news is that every county has a dentist, most of them WVU graduates. The bad news is that some have only one.
“We need care in our state,” she said. “We need to get to the areas that really need someone. It’s going to take a grassroots effort. As a school, we’re willing to get involved to connect the communities with dentists.” And therein lies Dr. Veselicky’s passion: providing rural West Virginians with accessible oral healthcare. Fortunately for those West Virginians, the School of Dentistry is a pioneer in sending students to rural sites to care for patients through the West Virginia Rural Health Education Partnerships Program. Every student participates in a six-week rural rotation at one of 42 sites across the state. In 2008-9 the students performed more than 10,000 procedures and assisted nearly 6,000 patients. Students in the School of Dentistry are eager to do their part to help rural West Virginia. As a matter of fact, Heather Gibson and Tabitha Justice, both members of the Class of 2010, can’t imagine practicing anywhere else. Gibson will return to her hometown of Elkview, where she will join her father and brother in their family’s general dentistry practice. “Even if I didn’t have the opportunity to practice dentistry with my family, I would still stay in West Virginia,” she said. “This is my home. I have always been interested in underserved populations and how to improve access to dental care. It seems to me that it is my responsibility to find a way to help this population.” Justice, a southern West Virginia native, will return to that part of the state to practice general dentistry. She and Gibson hope other students will follow in their footsteps.
“Think of all West Virginia and its people have to offer you. The opportunity to do well in this state is there if you want it,” Justice advised. “Think about the fact that West Virginia needs professional people who care about the welfare of their patients to stay in this state if we are ever going to make a difference in the oral health of West Virginians. Think of that one life you might make a difference for.” Gibson added, “There are so many people all over the state who need dental care. You could be the one person who could go into a community and change the lives of generations of people. You could singlehandedly change the future of a small community by providing dental care.”
Interim Dean Louise Veselicky, DDS
To promote good oral health among West Virginia’s schoolchildren, students and faculty at the WVU School of Dentistry are distributing “Lessons In A Lunch Box: Healthy Teeth Essentials and Facts About Snacks.” This spring, the School of Dentistry provided lunch boxes to children in Pocahontas and Wayne counties.
Reaching out WVU can’t have an impact on oral health across the state without going directly to people in their communities. “If we don’t do it, who will?” said Elliot Shulman, DDS, a WVU pediatric dentist. “Rural health in West Virginia has a long way to go. No one organization in the state is able to tackle it all. It’s going to take WVU working together with other agencies to make a difference.” The newly launched WVU Oral Health Initiative, which is aided by a $250,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, continued next page
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