Partnership Provides Dental Screenings for Families of Farm, Equine Workers

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 21, 2011) — The Keeneland Association, the University of Kentucky College of Dentistry and Blue Grass Farms Charities today announced an innovative partnership to provide free dental screenings for the children of horse industry employees.

A free screening will take place on July 30 at Keeneland and utilize one of the College of Dentistry's mobile dental units. The college operates mobile dental units that provide screenings at Fayette County Schools and throughout Eastern and Western Kentucky.

The Keeneland screenings will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be open to children between the ages of 4 and 10, who have a parent or guardian affiliated with Thoroughbred industry. UK Dental professors and residents will staff the effort, which the partners hope to expand to screenings during the racetrack's October and April meets.

"This screening opens the door to providing more access to affordable care for members of our community who need it most," said UK College of Dentistry Dean Sharon Turner. "At the same time, it provides an important educational opportunity for our students, who we expect to be leaders in addressing poor oral health. The fact is that poor oral health left untreated is associated with a host of serious health problems — from pre-term, low-birth weight babies to diabetes."

"For 75 years, Keeneland's core mission has been to invest our resources back into the horse industry and the communities we serve," said Nick Nicholson, Keeneland's president and CEO. "One of our partners in that effort, and one of the institutions that we have invested in, is the University of Kentucky. Our shared values are predicated on the idea of service. Together, with the Blue Grass Farms Charities, we can improve the lives of our valued workers and their families by addressing the critical issue of oral health."

Specifically, the dental faculty will use the screenings to evaluate the oral health needs of children, many of whom will likely be referred to the school's Twilight Clinic for more extensive care.  The clinic provides after-hours dental care at free or significantly reduced fees for the children of families, who cannot otherwise afford it. Moreover, the clinic provides training for dental students, preparing them for positive interactions with children as they move into dental practices.

The partnership between UK and Keeneland is precisely the kind of service that land-grant universities must provide on behalf of communities and states, Turner said.

"The need exemplifies a perfect opportunity for the University of Kentucky and it is precisely the kind of challenge a flagship, land-grant institution should work tirelessly to resolve," Turner said.

Keeneland and UK have partnered on a number of initiatives during the past 75 years, starting in 1947 when the association gave the university its first electron microscope. In recent years, the two institutions have partnered, through the Maker's Mark bottle program, to raise millions of dollars for cancer research and music outreach and education programs throughout the state.

"Our mission - and this partnership between our two institutions -- is no surprise. We share a deep history. And we share deep values," Nicholson said. "Today, we mark another milestone in our shared commitment, and our shared sense of values, to an industry critical to our state's economic health and to the people who make it work."

B-roll of the mobile dental unit is available at ftp.keeneland.com.
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