Seventy-two University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) students and five faculty members and residents provided free dental care to about 100 patients on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14. Their efforts were part of the Eastern Shore Mission of Mercy (ESMOM), a free adult dental clinic powered by volunteer dental professionals and held at the Wicomico County Civic Center in Salisbury, Md. Overall, more than 1,000 patients received free dental care including extractions, fillings, and cleanings. 

Bonsa Numera and Riana Joseph, fourth-year dental students, offer treatment to a patient at the Eastern Shore Mission of Mercy in Salisbury, Md. on Friday, Sept. 13.

“The event went extremely well,” said Ramsay Koury, DMD, clinical assistant professor in UMSOD’s Department of Comprehensive Dentistry, who oversaw the School of Dentistry team. “The students performed very well and treated the patients very professionally and empathically.” 

The UMSOD team performed extractions while other professionals provided fillings or cleanings. It included 38 fourth-year students who offered care under the guidance of faculty members, as well as 30 third-year and four second-year students who were on hand to assist on Day 2 of the event. Those overseeing the students included, in addition to Koury, Andrew Layton, DDS, clinical instructor; Amir Tofighbakhsh, DDS, second-year resident; Samuel Dahhan, DDS, third-year resident; and Syed Abdul-Wasay, DDS, second-year resident; all of UMSOD’s Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. 

“This was a testament to the excellent training the students are getting in our Oral Surgery department. They also gained further experience in the treatment of disadvantaged patients while witnessing how much need there is on the Eastern Shore,” Koury said. 

Patients needing care began lining up outside the civic center early Thursday evening — hours before the event would officially begin. Some said they passed the night sitting in lawn chairs or taking turns sleeping in their cars while a friend or family member held their place in line. Those that reached the head of the line received a numbered wrist band that, although did not guarantee treatment, allowed them to enter the building based upon their initial arrival time. 

All told, 1,105 patients were registered to receive free dental care; of those 980 received treatments and about 150 were turned away, said Sue Simmons, community organizer for the 2024 ESMOM. 

Volunteers came from organizations including the Howard University Dental School, University of Maryland Eastern Shore schools of pharmacy and physical therapy, and Salisbury University School of Nursing and Medical Science. Event sponsors included the Maryland State Dental Association and other health care organizations as well as corporate sponsors ranging from media to party supply companies.