When Valerie Bozman bit into a funnel cake at the Sharptown Fireman’s Carnival, she didn’t expect it would lead her to a dental chair in Salisbury. “It broke my tooth off,” Bozman explained, tenderly touching her cheek. “Now I’ve got a lot of pain, and I want it taken care of.”

Andrew Layton, DDS, examines a patient at the Eastern Shore Mission of Mercy.

Bozman’s solution came in the form of the Eastern Shore Mission of Mercy, a free dental clinic held Sept. 13-14 at the Wicomico County Civic Center. The event, part of a larger initiative to provide dental care to underserved communities, saw significant participation from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD).

Over 70 dental students and four faculty members from the school volunteered their time and skills providing extractions, fillings, and cleanings to nearly 100 patients over the two-day event. Their participation continues a tradition that began in 2016 when the dental school organized its own Mission of Mercy in Baltimore treating over 800 patients.

Ramsay Koury, DMD, clinical assistant professor and Mission of Mercy UMSOD volunteer coordinator, emphasized the unique challenges facing the Eastern Shore. “It’s a very needy area. There’s no fluoride in the water down here. It’s very rural, so they don’t have access to care sometimes,” Koury said.

The Eastern Shore Mission of Mercy draws its patients from the Lower Shore and Delaware. Its website states, “Given our rural region, the shifts in Medicare and Medicaid insurance coverage, as well as the impact of inflation on household budgets, Mission of Mercy patients are mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters who are often in pain.”

The event not only serves patients but also provides valuable experience for dental students. Reflecting on a complicated extraction that he had just supervised, Andrew Layton, DDS, clinical instructor, explained, “It gives them an idea of learning what they can and can’t handle. They’re going to have to make the decisions of what can I do on my own and what do I need the specialists to do.”

For students like fourth-year dental student Folashade Awofeso, the event represented a full-circle moment. “Before, I was just sterilizing instruments. So now I’m out here extracting teeth. It’s a full circle for me,” Awofeso said.

Mission of Mercy organizer Sue Simmons is grateful for the students’ participation. “The University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the delivery of patient care is an incredible force multiplier for this event,” she said. “It’s a symbiotic relationship in its purest form; patients get necessary, life-changing care, and students get not just clinical practice. They are empowered by the healing of a fellow human being who was emotionally broken by the pain of a damaged tooth.”

Bozman, who hadn’t been to a dentist in years due to fear and financial constraints, also is thankful for the students’ work. “They’re wonderful. They’re really good. I’ve enjoyed all of them that have taken care of me, and now I can go on with my life minus the pain,” she said.