UNE dental students and faculty featured in article about the importance of serving older patients

College of Dental Medicine (CDM) faculty and students are featured in the latest issue of the ADA News in an article about the importance of serving older patients.

The ADA News is a publication of the American Dental Association, the nation’s largest dental association.

The article describes a recent workshop attended by UNE faculty and students. Rachel King, D.D.S., M.P.H., assistant clinical professor in the CDM, Mohammed ElSahly, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant clinical professor in the CDM, and three students attended the workshop at the Maine Veterans Home in South Paris, Maine, to learn about the MOTIVATE program.

MOTIVATE stands for Maine’s Oral Team Based Initiative: Vital Access to Education.

The UNE group joined more than 60 members of the Maine Veterans Home’s interprofessional team at the workshop. The Maine Veterans Homes has been at the forefront of addressing the oral health needs of older adults in Maine.

Leonard Brennan, co-director of the dental geriatric fellowship program at Harvard University and a key leader of MOTIVATE, said students and faculty are important stakeholders in MOTIVATE.

“As the older dental geriatricians become few in number, seeing this interest from our younger colleagues is exciting and inspirational," he stated in the article. "We hope this program inspires and motivates future caregivers." 

Brennan said the workshop was an opportunity for the UNE group to explore possible collaborations and community partnerships.