For South Tempe resident Debi Sparks and
healthcare professionals worldwide, maintaining
dental health is one of the most vital aspects
of protecting one’s overall good health. That’s why
she’s focused on a series of complimentary oral health
screenings and a personalized schedule in coming weeks.
The program, being conducted by Mesa Community
College dental-hygiene students, is designed to recruit
patients for follow-up services, especially those who have
not received dental care for three years or longer or who
have been diagnosed with dental health issues.
The screenings, scheduled at the Arizona School of
Dentistry and Oral Health, 5855 E. Still Circle, Mesa, will
be available at 9 and 10:30 a.m. and noon and may be
made by calling 480-248-8195.
Screenings are not comprehensive exams and
treatment will not be provided during the event.
Although the screening is complimentary, those selected
as patients for the program will be charged for any
customized oral health care services provided.
Screening participants must agree to have a full set of
x-rays taken. Copies of x-rays may be purchased for $20
and picked up the following week during hygiene clinic
hours: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
Said Sparks:
“Dental hygiene students only progress in their
education through the participation of community
members through events such as this. The students’
clinical requirements state that care must be provided for
individuals who have been diagnosed with periodontal
(gum) disease and never had it treated, have been told
they need a deep-scale cleaning, or have other dental
hygiene issues such as puffy and bleeding gums.” Sparks
is director of the MCC Dental Hygiene Program.
Some patients will be invited to participate in the
program and will receive personalized fee-for-service
care provided by MCC dental hygiene students. Students
provide quality care using the latest technology under the
supervision of licensed dental hygienists and supervising
dentists.
The MCC clinic provides a full range of dental hygiene
services offered during convenient evening hours at
the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health Clinic,
according to Sparks. To schedule an appointment outside
of the screening event, contact the clinic at 480-248-
8195.
Additional information about the MCC Dental
Hygiene Program and the dental clinic is available online
at mesacc.edu/dental.
Sparks noted that MCC’s program offers a rigorous
and intensive science-orientated program and is
accredited by the American Dental Association’s
Commission on Dental Accreditation.
She added that dental hygienists traditionally provide
preventive and therapeutic oral health care to patients in
a dentist- supervised work setting. Career opportunities
are available in private dental offices and clinics, nursing
homes, schools, post-secondary institutions, public
health, research, and in private business.
The program is designed to help students who
successfully complete the course of study to be prepared
to obtain necessary licensure requirements and be
eligible to take written and clinical exams necessary to
obtain licensure in any state in the U.S.
