On April 8, the UNMC College of Dentistry hosted 40 children from Crete, Nebraska, for the final Children’s Dental Day event of the academic year.
The event was the culmination of a new concept for Children’s Dental Day. Under the direction of Gail Rohlfing, DDS, interim chair and assistant professor for the UNMC Department of Growth and Development, the formerly annual Children’s Dental Day, held at the college’s Lincoln home, was reimagined, with three events – one in York, one in Hasting, and the final event of the 2025-26 school year in Lincoln.
Although the number of children at each event was smaller – 25 in York, and about 40 at both Hastings and Lincoln – the events, in partnership with local dental clinics, allowed for more extensive dental care for each child.
At the April 8 event, seven residents, three attending faculty members and seven dental assistants were available to support 45 dental and dental hygiene students. Children arrived by bus in two groups of 20, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
“We were able to provide really good care to these kids in a safe and controlled environment,” Dr. Rohlfing said.
Dr. Rohlfing is still considering ways to improve the event, but said the new system kept children’s wait times to a minimum and allowed for more intensive work to be done with less intrusion into the day-to-day life of the college.
“We had some big wins,” she said, pointing to several children who’d received a great deal of necessary dental intervention during the day – a win not only for the children, but for the students delivering the care and, in some cases, developing real rapport with their patients.
“There were some positive stories,” Dr. Rohlfing said.
She also credited the faculty and assistant volunteers, and especially the dental residents.
“They were amazing,” she said. “They really helped us push through getting more dentistry done.”
Dean Gerard Kugel, DMD, PhD, is excited by Dr. Rohlfing’s new strategy for the beloved event.
“This is a treasured event for the college and the communities we serve,” Dr. Kugel said. “It’s been inspiring to see how the Children’s Dental Day concept is evolving under Dr. Rohlfing’s leadership. This is one of the college’s most important outreach initiatives, and to see it move into communities across Nebraska has been a wonderful experience.”
And although the academic year is ending, April’s event might not be the last Children’s Dental Day in 2026, Dr. Rohlfing said. The York and Hastings events have drawn interest from other rural areas, and she’s considering the possibility of holding a fall event on the western side of the state.
“The idea here is to take the dentistry to the communities, so that after we leave, families still have a place they can have their children’s dental needs cared for,” she said. “Creating a dental home for these families is part of the goal.”