The Sarrell Dental Bus arrived at West Blocton Elementary School on March 22. The dental bus travels around the state providing children in need with dental care.
By Daniel L. BambergBuses are certainly not an uncommon sight at West Blocton Elementary School but those buses are yellow. It was a surprise to many students in the school when a bright blue bus pulled up to the front lawn. Perhaps even more bizarre the bus wasn’t filled with uncomfortable green bench seats but rather; dental chairs, dental equipment, a dentist and her staff.
The Alabama Mobile Access to Dental Care Act was made law in 2008 to provide dental care for children who could otherwise not receive the proper care. Since that time, Sarrell Dental Center, a non-profit group has been running a dental bus and touring the state to serve the needs of Alabama’s children.
There are some obvious differences in the bus experience and your typical dentist office. There is only one hygienist and one assistant who is also the manager.
Dr. Hayes has been the dentist on the Dental Bus since September of 2010. According to her the bus experience is not as cramped or as uncomfortable as some would imagine.
“At first I thought it might be a little claustrophobic but it has been great, I don’t mind it at all, in fact I enjoy it,” explained Dr. Hayes.
They began in Blount County, continued to parts of Jefferson County, worked in Perry and Dallas counties and recently wound up at Woodstock Elementary where they spent about 2 weeks.
On Tuesday, March 22 the bus made its way to West Blocton Elementary to continue their tour of Bibb County elementary schools. Woodstock and West Blocton are the first two stops. The bus will be making its way to West Blocton Middle School soon, then on to Randolph Elementary before visiting Centreville in Brent. Their schedule runs through the month of May. According to Sarrell media spokeswoman, Christine Marsh any school that they do not get to by May, which is on the agenda, will be visited in September.
“Our goal is to go in and see those children who haven’t seen a dentist in a year or more,” explained Marsh. “Once we find out who those kids are we contact their dentist so he or she can reach out to the parents and try to get the kids into the office. If for some reason the dentist can’t get in touch with the parents, or can't schedule an appointment we see those children her on the bus."
According to Marsh, Sarrell exists to help find a dental home for those kids.
“After we see the kids we send a letter to the parents explaining what work has been done, when their next time to see the dentist should be and a list of local dentist offices in the area,” said Marsh. “We are promoting the importance of dentistry for children.”
Dr. Hayes expressed an extreme importance in not only dentistry but in educating kids about the importance of good dental hygiene.
“It is imperative to teach children early on how crucial dental hygiene is to overall health,” said Dr. Hayes. “In this day and age there are a lot of dental procedures, which are cosmetic, and so some people see that as what dentistry is. Research has however proven that heart disease and other conditions are related to improper dental hygiene. Even in baby teeth it is important. Abscesses in baby teeth can lead to the same conditions and a lot of times how a child takes care of their baby teeth translates to how they take care of their teeth in adulthood.”
Sarrell Dental was founded in 2004 in Anniston, AL. Since then, Sarrell has grown to include ten other offices located in Athens, Attalla, Bessemer, Boaz, Clanton, Enterprise, Heflin, Leesburg, Pinson, and Talladega. Since 2006,
The Sarrell Dental Team is made up of over 175 employees, including dentists, hygienists, and managers.
Of the 175 members of the Sarrell Dental Team, 66% have obtained a four year degree and 30% have their masters or dental degree. Of these graduates, 82% attained their degrees within the state of Alabama from Jacksonville State University (JSU), the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Auburn University, or The University of Alabama.
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