SHARING Clinics

Impact

SHARING Clinics (Student Health Alliance Reaching Indigent Needy Groups) are a UNMC outreach program. Started in 2008, Dental SHARING Clinics are held to address the oral health needs of the underserved in Nebraska. Patients receive free dental care from student providers.  

The Dental SHARING Clinic program provides students with the opportunity to gain experiences, especially multicultural, they might not ordinarily have at the college and gives faculty and staff an opportunity to model professional behaviors while they serve the community.

This program is made possible by generous financial support from Ameritas Insurance Company, Delta Dental of Nebraska, dental alumni and friends.

Lincoln SHARING Clinics

SHARING Clinics are held at the College of Dentistry twice each year. At each event, around 70 patients are served and around $25,000 in free dental services are provided. Patients are primarily referred from Clinic With A Heart.

Many SHARING Clinic cases are complex and represent dental emergencies with pain, swelling and fever. The primary procedures that are performed include cleaning, extraction, restoration and referrals for root canal therapy.

Western Nebraska SHARING Clinics

An annual extraction clinic is held in conjunction with the Third City Clinic in Grand Island. About 20 dental students and faculty see about 70 patients and extract about 200 teeth.

Additionally, the college works with a district health department in northeastern Nebraska to identify a minority population with major dental needs. This has resulted in a special triage and referral day, providing services to about 40 patients.

Interprofessional Education

The college has used the SHARING Clinic program to enhance Interprofessional Education opportunities with students from the Lincoln Division of the College of Nursing and health professions students from Omaha.