Shawnee State University receives grant from Delta Dental Foundation

Shawnee State University has received a $100,000 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation to make equipment upgrades to its dental hygiene program. The funding will purchase new dental chairs for students in the program to ensure they are being trained using the most up to date equipment.

According to an article on Shawnee State University’s website, Holli Sebury, EdD, Executive Director of the Delta Dental Foundation, explained why the Foundation awarded the grant to the university: “There’s a nationwide shortage of dental hygienists, which means that SSU’s new grads will be in high demand. It’s imperative that they’re trained using the most current technologies.”

The Delta Dental Foundation is a philanthropic organization tied to Delta Dental which strives to improve oral health by providing funding for education, partnerships, and programming.

The new chairs will be used in Shawnee State University’s Dental Hygiene Clinic, which provides dental care to students on campus and to members of the local community, and gives students in the dental hygiene program the opportunity to get real dental hygiene experience while working through the program. Students in the program provide all the services the clinic offers, including x-rays, flouride treatments, teeth scaling and polishing, and patient education. While students perform all of these services, a licensed dentist or dental hygienist will perform an examination of the patient once the student has finished their work.

Georgeann Kamer, the director of the dental hygiene program at Shawnee State University, said of the grant funding, “It is an honor for the Shawnee State University Dental Hygiene program to receive the [grant] funding from the Delta Dental Foundation. This funding will allow us to make necessary upgrades to our Dental Clinic so we can continue to provide an outstanding education for our students and high-quality dental services for the community.” 

For more information about Shawnee State University, visit the school’s website.