Celebrating 70 years of care for KC kids

By Bryce Puntenney

Every February the American Dental Association celebrates Children’s Dental Health Month. The goal is to encourage dentists to devote a day to provide free dental care to children in their area. Through the UMKC School of Dentistry’s Lowry Clinic program, that effort takes place year-round.

The Lowry program, which uses the school’s pediatric clinic facilities, is committed to expanding children’s access to dental care in the Kansas City area. It provides oral health care to underserved populations who wouldn’t otherwise receive the care they need. The Lowry program is also working to break down as many barriers to dental care as it can, in particular by providing transportation to and from school for these young patients.

For Neena Patel (DDS ’13), the time she spent in the Lowry program while attending UMKC was eye opening. “Before this program, I was unaware of how many kids don’t have access to the care they need,” said Patel. “Now in my practice, I have witnessed first-hand the need for dental care with children and how it can often go overlooked. The Lowry Clinic serves as a great means for children to get the care they need.”

Another barrier the program works to break down is the fear that can be associated with going to the dentist. The students who staff the program are keenly aware of their young patients’ trepidations and are encouraged to bring cheer to their dental chair.

Supervised by faculty members, third- and fourth-year dental students help provide care in the program. They can be heard gently and encouragingly telling their young patients: “Good job.” “You might feel a little pinch.” “We’re almost finished.” “You’ve been so patient.” “Let’s go get a prize.” The students are able to give their young patients positive experiences that can stay with them for a lifetime, so they know a visit to the dentist doesn’t have to be scary or painful.

Besides preventive services, the program provides comprehensive care, including much needed restorative work. This is unusual for university-based pediatric clinics, as many are limited to providing preventive services.

Through the Lowry progam, 150 to 200 students are seen each academic year. Free or reduced fees are available to families who cannot afford the care. The school estimates that the donated care is worth up to $60,000 a year.

Besides providing invaluable care to children, the Lowry program gives UMKC students needed pediatric dentistry experience. That experience can be difficult to come by in dental education, but the school’s brightly painted, kid-friendly pediatric clinic isa great draw for children in the area.

Dentistry student Ronnie Marquez (DDS ’19) said his experience in the clinic has been extremely valuable and rewarding.

“The value in treating a child from start to finish cannot be overstated, especially when you are beginning to learn how to treat the pediatric patient,” said Marquez. “The most rewarding aspect has been our ability to treat those in need while also having the opportunity to cultivate relationships and gain the trust of our pediatric patients.”

The chair of the school’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Brenda Bohaty (DDS, MS, PhD ’09), interviews graduates of dental schools nationwide for the Advanced Program in Pediatric Dentistry. In those interviews the graduates describe their experience in pediatric dentistry, and they rarely come close to the comprehensive experience the students receive at UMKC.

“We send our students out incredibly well prepared in pediatric dentistry,” said Dr. Bohaty, “particularly when compared with other schools across the nation that may not offer such a robust experience.”

Providing care for more than 70 years, the program is named after Dr. Howard S. Lowry, who provided some of the money to get the effort started. Dr. Bohaty has been a part of the program in some capacity her entire tenure at UMKC, starting in 1987. Before her, longtime faculty member Dr. John Haynes (DDS ’60) oversaw the clinic for nearly half a century.

When the program was conceived, it was designed to serve the dental needs of first- and second-graders at four schools in the Kansas City urban core. Since its start, loyalty to the program by the school’s faculty has helped sustain the program all these years.

These days, the program works directly with principals and school nurses from all over Kansas City, while focusing within the urban core. The program transports elementary students with a school staff member four mornings a week during the fall semester and then five mornings a week during the spring semester. The school’s pediatric clinic also accepts patients from the public.

According to Dr. Bohaty, the program is most successful when the school has a champion who understands the importance of good oral health.

The program’s faculty coordinator, Dr. Eileen Cocjin (DDS ’05), works diligently to identify schools that are enthusiastic about their students’ oral health needs.

Dr. Cocjin performs outreach efforts in area schools — including presentations at the schools — to seek those that have such oral health champions.

The clinic also collaborates with area health organizations to help identify schools in need.

The comprehensive care catering to children is what keeps parent Maria Flores coming back with her four children. When she was expecting her first child, her family doctor steered her toward UMKC’s pediatric clinic. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children receive their first dental check-up as soon as the first tooth erupts and no later than at 12 months of age.

Flores says the care has always been good and affordable. So as her family has grown, she has returned regularly.  “My doctor told me how important it is to take care of children’s teeth,” she said during their visit in February. “I have four children now — 13, 11, 5 and 2 — and I bring them all here. My insurance covers their checkups, twice a year.”

According to Dr. Bohaty, much has changed in dental care in her time at UMKC, but there has been one constant — the continuing presence of preventable dental decay.

“We stress that dental cavities are one of the leading reasons that kids miss school,” Dr. Bohaty said. “It continues to be a problem, and we’re trying to help schools out because ifwe take care of the problem then we hope they’ll miss less school because of toothaches.”

The Lowry Clinic program gets some support from area charitable organizations, but not nearly enough to cover its comprehensive services. If you’re interested in supporting the clinic, please reach out to the Rinehart Foundation at 816-235-2060.

“The Lowry Clinic is one way the School of Dentistry, through the work of the faculty, staff and students, works to improve oral health for the children of Kansas City,” Dean Marsha A. Pyle said. “We are grateful for the legacy of caring for the community this clinic supports.”