Last week during the Henry Schein National Sales Meeting, held in National Harbor, MD, attendees had the opportunity to tour the Deamonte Driver Dental Project, a new mobile dental bus which provides oral healthcare to uninsured children in the Maryland area.

The Deamonte project originated after a young boy in Prince George’s (PG) County, Maryland died in February of 2007 from a brain infection caused by bacteria from tooth decay. His name was Deamonte Driver. His Medicaid coverage had lapsed, and even with the help of social workers, his mother was unable to find a dentist who would treat him. Devastated by the news of Deamonte’s death, a group of PG County dentists sprang into action and mobilized their business.

In the months that followed, Maryland legislators and policy makers vowed to “fix the system.” The Governor’s new initiative now includes the mobile dentistry component. The goal of the Deamonte Driver Dental Project is to provide a grassroots solution to a widespread problem that is preventable.

By partnering with Henry Schein, DentalEZ^® was fortunate enough to be a part of this project by donating chairs, units, lights, StarDental^® handpieces and RAMVAC^® utility room equipment.

Today, Deamonte Driver Dental Project seeks to provide much needed dental care to nearly 500,000 Medicaid children in Maryland. DentalEZ is honored to be a part of this much needed initiative.

For more information on the Deamonte Driver Dental Project and its mission, please visit www.deamontesdentalproject.org.