Dental Health Centers in Raeford and Troy use grant
to buy equipment that enhances patient care
SOUTHERN PINES – Instead of taking five minutes, it now takes only five seconds to clean and lubricate dental drills between patients at the FirstHealth Dental Care Centers in Raeford and Troy. The centers recently began using a piece of equipment that does the job automatically.
“This really improves our efficiency and allows us to spend more time with patients,” says Sharon Nicholson Harrell, DDS, MPH, director of the FirstHealth Dental Care Centers.
Paul Hood, DDS, and dental assistant Tina Bilotti of the FirstHealth Dental Care Centers are shown with one of the new time-saving dental drill cleaners that have been acquired for the Dental Care Centers in Troy and Raeford.
The equipment was purchased with a $3,600 grant from the North Carolina Community Foundation. The funds were provided by the N.C. Dental Health Endowment, which is supported by members of the North Carolina Dental Society. The endowment assists dental clinics that focus on caring for underserved populations.
The FirstHealth Dental Care Centers provide care to nearly 18,000 children from low-income families in Hoke, Montgomery and Moore counties. The original center, which is in Southern Pines, already had equipment for cleaning and lubricating drills.
“It reduces the amount of time our patients have to wait, and it allows us to spend more time taking care of them instead of taking care of instruments,” Dr. Harrell says. “Because of that, our staffs are really excited about having this technology.”
According to Dr. Harrell, the automated equipment not only lubricates drills much faster, but it also distributes the oil more evenly than can be done by hand. As a result, the drills don’t wear out as often. After drills are cleaned and lubricated, they are sterilized before being used for the next patient.
The FirstHealth Dental Care Center in Raeford is open two days a week and handles about 1,800 patient visits a year. Dentists at the Raeford center filled more than 1,300 cavities last year.
The Dental Care Center in Troy, which is open three days a week plus one Saturday a month, has more than 2,700 patient visits a year. Dentists there filled about 2,900 cavities last year.
