Free dental screenings for children of horse industry
employees
The Keeneland Association, the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry
and Blue Grass Farms Charities have joined up to provide free dental screenings
for the children of horse industry employees.
A free screening will take place on Saturday at Keeneland and utilize one of
the College of Dentistry’s mobile dental units. The college operates mobile
dental units that provide screenings at Fayette County Schools and throughout
Eastern and Western Kentucky.
The Keeneland screenings will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (EDT) and
will be open to children between the ages of 4 and 10, who have a parent or
guardian affiliated with Thoroughbred industry. UK Dental professors and
residents will staff the effort, which the partners hope to expand to screenings
during the racetrack’s October and April meets.
“This screening opens the door to providing more access to affordable care
for members of our community who need it most,” UK College of Dentistry Dean
Sharon Turner said. “At the same time, it provides an important educational
opportunity for our students, who we expect to be leaders in addressing poor
oral health. The fact is that poor oral health left untreated is associated with
a host of serious health problems — from pre-term, low-birth weight babies to
diabetes.”
“For 75 years, Keeneland’s core mission has been to invest our resources back
into the horse industry and the communities we serve,” said Nick Nicholson,
Keeneland’s president and CEO. “One of our partners in that effort — and one of
the institutions that we have invested in — is the University of Kentucky. Our
shared values are predicated on the idea of service. Together, with the Blue
Grass Farms Charities, we can improve the lives of our valued workers and their
families by addressing the critical issue of oral health.”
Specifically, Turner said the dental faculty will use the screenings to
evaluate the oral health needs of children, many of whom will likely be referred
to the school’s Twilight Clinic for more extensive care. The clinic provides
after-hours dental care at free or significantly reduced fees for the children
of families who cannot otherwise afford it. Moreover, the clinic provides
training for dental students, preparing them for positive interactions with
children as they move into dental practices.
The partnership between UK and Keeneland is precisely the kind of service
that land-grant universities must provide on behalf of communities and states,
Turner said.
“The need exemplifies a perfect opportunity for the University of Kentucky
and it is precisely the kind of challenge a flagship, land-grant institution
should work tirelessly to resolve,” Turner said.
Keeneland and UK have partnered on a number of initiatives during the past 75
years, starting in 1947 when the association gave the university its first
electron microscope. In recent years, the two institutions have partnered —
through the Maker’s Mark bottle program — to raise millions of dollars for
cancer research and music outreach and education programs throughout the state.
“Our mission — and this partnership between our two institutions — is no
surprise. We share a deep history. And we share deep values,” Nicholson said.
“Today, we mark another milestone in our shared commitment — and our shared
sense of values — to an industry critical to our state’s economic health and to
the people who make it work.”