A student community dental experience with migrant farmworker families and the rural poor

For the past six years, 78 dental students have worked with 25 rural dentists to provide over 31,000 dental health services to migrant patients for all of Colorado's agricultural communities. In 1977, each of 19 dental students averaged over $538 per week in value of comprehensive dental services, including preventive and peridontal services (36 per cent, N=3,006); restorative services (46 per cent, N=3,904); surgical services (8 per cent, N=705); services in pulp therapy (5 per cent, N=413); and an additional 5 per cent (N=412) in miscellaneous services. A unique combination of federal resources from the Departments of Labor, and of Health, Education and Welfare, were combined through the Colorado State Health Department and the University of Colorado Medical Center to finance the program. Quality assurance in the program was demonstrated by: 1) a relatively low extraction to restoration ratio (1 to 5) when compared to reported studies (1 to 2); 2) a relatively low extract to root canal therapy (10 to 1) when compared to reported studies (400 to 1); 3) no statistical difference between students and rural practitioners in the quality of services as determined by peer review study. This dental program is an integrated component of a comprehensive program combining student and professional services in medicine, nursing, nutrition and health education.