Meharry School of Dentistry and Remote Area Medical (RAM) are hosting a day of FREE dental care for individuals 18+ in the Nashville and surrounding areas on Saturday, March 4 from 7 am to 5 pm.. This will take place at Henry A. Moses Alumni Hall, 1005 Dr. D.B. Todd Blvd. in Nashville.There will be signage and staff directing you to the correct location.
Meharry dental students, faculty, and alumni will be providing a range of dental services, including cleanings, extractions and fillings.
Who
• Residents – 18 years and older – of Nashville and the surrounding counties are invited to attend and receive free dental services.
• Students and faculty from Meharry’s School of Dentistry will provide dental procedures for the community.
• James E.K Hildreth, PhD, MD, president and CEO of Meharry Medical College
• Cherae Farmer-Dixon, DDS, MSPH, dean of the School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College; Julie Gray, DDS, MA, assistant dean for student affairs assistant professor of restorative dentistry, School of Dentistry at Meharry Medical College
Meharry School of Dentistry hosts Oral Health Day to provide free dental services to those who may not have access to care. A lack of dental care can lead to serious disease and disability which Meharry hopes to prevent by offering free services.
Since COVID-19, the U.S. has experienced a worsening of the disparities in oral healthcare. As a result, Black and Brown communities increasingly lack access and/or the funds to receive consistent dental care.
Lack of access to regular preventive screenings puts people at risk for serious diseases – such as gum disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and more – to go unnoticed and untreated longer.
Among working-age U.S. adults, over 40% of low-income and non-Hispanic Black adults have untreated tooth decay. Roughly 40% of adults with low-income or no private health insurance have untreated cavities.
Low-income or uninsured adults are twice as likely to have one to three untreated cavities and three times as likely to have four or more untreated cavities as adults with higher incomes or private insurance.
Meharry Medical College, founded in 1876, is the nation’s largest private, independent historically black academic health sciences center dedicated to educating minority and other health professionals. True to its heritage, it is a United Methodist Church related institution. The college is particularly well known for its uniquely nurturing, highly effective educational programs; emerging preeminence in health disparities research; culturally sensitive, evidence-based health services and significant contribution to the diversity of the nation’s health professions workforce. Meharry is a leading national educator of African Americans with M.D. and D.D.S. degrees and Ph.D. degrees in the biomedical sciences.