Community Dental Clinic opening May 1st, preventive care appointments now available for new patients

NEW YORK, April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 1, Plaza College's Community Dental Clinic will open to the public for preventive care dental hygiene services. The Clinic, the first of its kind in Queens, is a community-based clinic accepting all patients requesting dental hygiene services with no qualifying criteria.

Queens is home to roughly 2.4 million residents; approximately 460,000 of them children. Nearly 50% of them are foreign-born, making it the most diverse urban area in the world. Each of these residents needs convenient and affordable dental care; and according to the Surgeon General, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, migrant workers, the young, the elderly, and the poor are at an extreme disadvantage when it comes to accessing it ? a formidable reality for the Borough.

Plaza's Clinic is a much-needed and very valuable resource for the community, addressing the gap in oral healthcare services. "There is a well-documented need for oral healthcare prevention and treatment for patients of all ages, particularly the diverse population in Queens," explains Dr. Laura Sleeper, RDH, DHSc, Dental Hygiene Program Director. 

Ensuring the health of the mouth by following good hygiene habits and seeing a hygienist for regular cleanings is essential to avoiding dental and overall health issues, as well as keeping healthcare-related expenses low. Plaza's COO, Chad Callahan, explained, "This is exactly why the Community Dental Clinic is such a needed service in our area. Patients can access the convenient, affordable hygiene services vital to maintaining their good health."

All services will be provided by students of the Plaza College Dental Hygiene program under the supervision of licensed dentists and registered dental hygienists. Services include baseline vitals, dental examinations and cleanings, routine x-rays, oral cancer screenings, fluoride treatments, and pit and fissure sealants. Mouth guards and whitening treatments are also available to patients who qualify.

The Clinic will only provide hygiene services, but it does have a vast network of local dentists to whom patients can be referred to seek dental procedures outside of the scope of the Clinic. "We're prepared to treat our patients to the fullest extent possible and see them through the entire process of care," explained Dr. Laura Sleeper. "If they require additional services, we're prepared to assist them in locating a dentist that can complete their treatment."

Plaza's is the only Dental Hygiene program in Queens and the first new program in all of New York City in the past 27 years. 

Contact:
Brittany Travis
Director of Communications
(718) 779-1430

SOURCE Plaza College