UMA : Through MBVS Grant, UMA-Bangor Dental Hygiene Clinic Provides Eligible Veterans Free Dental Hygiene Services

Press release from the University of Maine at Augusta:

2022-02-28

UMA-Bangor Dental Hygiene Clinic partners with Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services to provide eligible veterans free dental hygiene services

The Maine Bureau of Veterans’ Services (MBVS) and eight participating clinics, including the UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic in Bangor, are providing dental hygiene services to veterans unable to afford preventive dental care.  The Maine Veterans’ Dental Network, which is overseen by MBVS, received a $35,000 grant from Northeast Delta Dental to serve veterans who do not otherwise have dental coverage or cannot afford dental care.

The UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic received $6,000 of this grant funding to provide preventive dental hygiene services (e.g. cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatment and approved restorative needs that meet the program criteria) for qualifying veterans. This program also provides UMA’s dental hygiene program students with valuable clinical experiences under the supervision of UMA’s Dental Hygiene faculty.

Through this grant program, which began in fall 2021, the UMA-Bangor Dental Hygiene Clinic has provided preventative dental hygiene services to over 30 qualified veterans.

To receive dental hygiene services, veterans must provide a copy of their DD-214 (discharge papers) to the clinic and grant permission to forward the document to MBVS for inclusion in its database. If the veteran does not have a copy of their DD-214, MBVS can assist them in acquiring one by submitting the State of Maine Request Form – https://www.maine.gov/veterans/forms/index.html located on the MBVS website.

To make an appointment, eligible veterans may contact the UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic at 207-262-7872 or visit https://www.uma.edu/academics/programs/dental-programs/patient-services/ to schedule a free dental cleaning, including X-rays and fluoride treatment. The UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic is located at 201 Texas Ave, Bangor.

These free services are available now to all eligible veterans.  This program ends April 29, 2022

This press release was produced by the University of Maine at Augusta. The views expressed here are the author’s own.