A Grant Brings Smiles to Clayton State University

The Clayton State University Department of Dental Hygiene recently received a $40,000 grant from the Mary Allen Lindsey Branan Foundation, managed by Wachovia Trust. The grant was recommended to the Clayton State University Foundation by Tamara W. Patridge, assistant vice president of nonprofit and philanthropic services for Wachovia Trust.

“The grant will mean that we can update our dental equipment in areas such as digital radiography and paperless charts and evaluation instruments which will move us into the direction of a paperless clinic,” explains Dr. Susan Duley, head of the Department of Dental Hygiene.

The objective of the grant was to become a source of financial assistance in the renovation of the dental hygiene clinic, which had previously undergone no major renovations since its opening. Aside from updating the clinic with new technology, the clinic is in need of more work stations to accommodate the growing program and increased demand.

The clinic allows students to gain hands-on experience in addition to their classroom training. The clinic is also an important entity serving an underserved population that might not otherwise be able to afford proper dental hygiene care.

With the planned renovations to the dental hygiene clinic, the program anticipates an increase in student enrollment and will be able to admit 40 new students instead of the current 28 each year. Additionally, the number of patients served through the clinic is anticipated to increase from 2,100 to 3,000, a 30 percent increase.

“Updating these two areas, the digital radiography and move to the paperless clinic, will impact the quality of education for the dental hygiene students,” says Duley.

For more information on the Clayton State Dental Hygiene Clinic, or to make an appointment, call (678) 466-4920.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.