MobileSmiles Oklahoma

MobileSmiles Oklahoma: On the Road Again

By: John Wilguess, Executive Director, Oklahoma Dental Foundation

In 2013, the Oklahoma Dental Foundation placed a new mobile dental unit on the roads of Oklahoma. Since that time, we have been to nearly every county and numerous towns, literally touching every border possible except Colorado. (Guymon is as close as we’ve come to the Centennial State.) Our team still refers to it as the “new” mobile unit, even though it’s now nearly eight years old with thousands of miles on it and thousands of patients who have been in it.

Thankfully, MobileSmiles is rarely seen as it is in the accompanying picture. Throughout the COVID-19 period, the MobileSmiles program has been placed on hiatus. That break has allowed us to have necessary work done to ensure it is ready to return to the road when we are able to see patients again. This picture, though, may need a bit of orientation. Under normal circumstances we view this mobile unit from the side, the inside or driving down the road. Never have we seen the underside – until now!

Earlier this year, on the way to a rural non-profit site, the engine began to make noise and lose a tremendous amount of oil. After weeks and weeks of evaluation with mechanics of all sorts, it was determined that the only fix was a brand new engine. The photo shows the original engine being dropped out through the bottom of the unit. The mechanic team at Mikey’s Automotive in Oklahoma City have been laser-focused on getting the unit repaired for the long term to better ensure that our staff and equipment is safe when getting from one site to another The engine of the MobileSmiles unit and that the mobile unit can be kept on the road for years to come. In every dental practice, there is much attention and concern about keeping the dental equipment functioning at professional levels; the MobileSmiles program must not only address that issue but must also be on top of the mechanical side of the RV itself.

The good news is that MobileSmiles is about to be back on the road. The even better news is that a brand new mobile unit will be built and delivered in 2021 to ensure that its vital dental education and outreach continue across Oklahoma for many years to come.

Contact the ODF at 405.241.1299 or learn more about this program at www.okdf.org.