ROANOKE TIMES
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 2, 1995                   TAG: 9508030006
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: TONYA WOODS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium


ROLLING DENTAL OFFICE GIVES PATIENTS FIRST CARE IN YEARS

For some people, going to the dentist is commonplace. But for others, a trip to the dentist merely to have their teeth cleaned is a rare opportunity.

Poor and homeless people got the chance to have cavities filled, teeth cleaned or pulled, and dental X-rays taken Tuesday at a mobile dentist's office at the Rescue Mission of Roanoke.

It's owned by the Medical College of Virginia's School of Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. About the size of a Greyhound bus - 40 feet long, 11 feet high and 8 feet wide - it's equipped with two dental chairs and related equipment, a sterilization area and a patient education area where people can find out the best ways to take care of their mouths. Plus there are volunteer dental students, who are under the instruction of a practicing dentist on board.

``I think everybody's a little apprehensive about going to the dentist at first,'' said Tom Burke, assistant dean of the medical college at VCU. ``But when you're in enough pain, you'll love to see the dentist.''

The morning got off to a slow start, with only three or four patients. But by noon, a line began to stretch toward the back of the mobile unit.

Phil Reed, 45, said he hadn't been to a dentist since June 5, 1978. He remembers the date because that's when he found out he needed extensive dental work.

``I'm not nervous about going in there,'' he said when asked if he were afraid of getting in a dentist chair for the first time in 17 years. ``Nothing bothers me.''

Reed won't be able to have that major dental work done because a dental van can only do so much. More complicated procedures such as inserting crowns, bridges, dentures or partials, which is what Reed needs, can't be done on the van.

The dental van began its pilgrimage across the state last year, providing education and fluoride rinses to children at elementary schools and free dental care to adults and children at missions and churches.

Tuesday's trip was a one-stop, one-time deal for the Rescue Mission.

Shivaprasanna Rai, clinical instructor at VCU and a practicing dentist, said it cost about $500 a day for organizations to rent the dental van. Rai is an instructor on the van. Not only are the dental students helping others, he said, but they are getting experience.

Michael Smith, 24, one of the dental students on the van, said he has come in contact with people who have not seen dentists in years and might never have gone to one if they hadn't heard about the dental van.

``I've seen medically compromised patients like stroke victims, people taking lots of medication and HIV-positive patients,'' he said.

The dental van will make two additional stops in Roanoke this week: at the Burrell Nursing Center today and at the Bradley Free Clinic on Thursday. The Bradley Free Clinic also provides dental service to adults on Thursday evenings; the Health Department provides dental care for children on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and for adults on Mondays and Wednesdays.



 by CNB