Carrington College Dental Hygiene Business Alliance Announcement

The Dental Hygiene program at Carrington College takes great PRIDE in establishing a business alliance with Extended Family Disability Services (E.F.D.S.), LLC to provide free dental hygiene services at the Mesa campus dental hygiene clinic for individuals with special needs during the months of November and December. These special needs individuals present with various disabilities including Down Syndrome, Williams Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, and those on the Autism Spectrum. Dental Hygiene is an incredibly important life skill to this population. It is common knowledge that this population struggle with brushing thoroughly. It is not uncommon for an individual to be afraid of going to the dentist to the point of panic which usually results in less and less visits as they age. E.F.D.S. Program Director, Kelli Tarquino and her staff of dedicated specialists will transport the young adults between the ages of 19 – 43 to and from their hygiene appointments. On-going proper oral hygiene instruction/maintenance and nutrition counseling will be continued by Carrington’s dental hygiene students throughout the year with the implementation of community in-service rotations at the E.F.D.S. facility located in Chandler. Carrington College Dental Hygiene Program Director Lynne Berman and E.F.D.S. Program Director Kelli Tarquino feel this alliance will be mutually beneficial by providing the special needs population with the opportunity for more exposure to the dental care process and develop a sense of compassion and commitment, by fostering the importance of community service involvement by the hygiene students. Helping individuals reach their goals was a mission clearly echoed from both program directors. Another example of “Doing well by doing good”