UNE dental students and faculty featured in article about the importance of serving older patients

College of Dental Medicine faculty and students recently attended a workshop on serving older patients
College of Dental Medicine faculty and students recently attended a workshop on serving older patients

College of Dental Medicine (CDM) faculty and students are featured in the latest issue of the ADA News in an article about the importance of serving older patients.

The ADA News is a publication of the American Dental Association, the nation’s largest dental association.

The article describes a recent workshop attended by UNE faculty and students. Rachel King, D.D.S., M.P.H., assistant clinical professor in the CDM, Mohammed ElSahly, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant clinical professor in the CDM, and three students attended the workshop at the Maine Veterans Home in South Paris, Maine, to learn about the MOTIVATE program.

MOTIVATE stands for Maine’s Oral Team Based Initiative: Vital Access to Education.

The UNE group joined more than 60 members of the Maine Veterans Home’s interprofessional team at the workshop. The Maine Veterans Homes has been at the forefront of addressing the oral health needs of older adults in Maine.

Leonard Brennan, co-director of the dental geriatric fellowship program at Harvard University and a key leader of MOTIVATE, said students and faculty are important stakeholders in MOTIVATE.

“As the older dental geriatricians become few in number, seeing this interest from our younger colleagues is exciting and inspirational," he stated in the article. "We hope this program inspires and motivates future caregivers." 

Brennan said the workshop was an opportunity for the UNE group to explore possible collaborations and community partnerships.

Mohammed ElSahly, assistant clinical professor in the College of Dental Medicine
Mohammed ElSahly, assistant clinical professor in the College of Dental Medicine
Rachel King, assistant clinical professor in the College of Dental Medicine
Rachel King, assistant clinical professor in the College of Dental Medicine

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.