Community

Our graduates are often offered positions by our partnering COMMUNITY CLINICS

as a result of community-based rotations.

BE PART OF COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Community service is an integral component of Detroit Mercy Dental’s mission to develop socially and ethically sensitive health professionals. Throughout the year, students engage in a variety of activities including oral health education, comprehensive, and preventative programs to target underserved populations.

Located in a designated oral health professional shortage area, Detroit Mercy Dental takes pride in our extensive history of providing services to a genuinely beneficial population; we are committed to improving the oral health of our community.

DEVELOPING STUDENT AWARENESS

We believe service is much more than the activity itself – it is about meeting and understanding the needs of the community through direct patient care. Through outreach activities, you will develop awareness and sensitivity to a culturally diverse population, which will help you to understand the value and inherent responsibility of the profession to care for those in need.

During your education at Detroit Mercy Dental, you will have the opportunity to engage in multiple outreach projects in Detroit and surrounding areas. From mouth guard clinics to traveling abroad providing care to underserved populations, you will take pride in knowing you have made a difference in the lives of others.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY...

Community-based education and outreach events provide a sense of reward both personally and academically. It is gratifying to know that the child or elderly patient you helped truly benefitted from your care. But as we do this, we are growing in knowledge. These experiences expose us to diverse patient encounters and situations, which help us to get acclimated and cope with the unpredictability of clinic life.

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

Student Run Dental Centers

Student volunteers provide free dental care to underserved, underinsured and homeless adults. All logistics are handled by students, including administrative and clinical duties. These projects increase access to oral health care, reduce oral health disparities and teach students awareness of needs in surrounding communities.

Mouthguard Clinic

To reduce the risk of sport-related dental injuries, we host on-location clinics to make custom fit mouthguards for adolescent sports teams in the community. Students provide proper fitting, instructions on wearing, cleaning and storing the appliance, in addition to a dental screening.

Men’s Health Event

The Michigan Institute of Urology’s Men’s Health Event provides free health screenings to men in our community. Student volunteers provide oral cancer screenings and oral health education to patients at Detroit’s Ford Field; an excellent opportunity for students to identify potentially life threatening conditions.

Special Olympics Special Smiles

Detroit Mercy Dental Special Needs Clinic supports Special Olympics Special Smiles of Michigan by providing a dental home for athletes. Students gain experience in treating patients with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Mission Trips

You will have the opportunity to travel with a student group partnering with dental mission organizations to provide care overseas. In the past, students have traveled to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, and elsewhere.

Missions Trips Mouthguard Clinic

Student Run Dental Center