Dental school to provide free services at Apache Junction schools

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

Students in the Apache Junction Unified School District who do not regularly see a dentist can receive services for no charge from students at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health under an agreement approved recently.

The school is part of A. T. Still University of Health Sciences and is at 5850 E. Still Circle in Mesa.

The agreement — which covers oral screenings, sealants, referrals, fluoride varnish application and oral health education — was approved in a unanimous vote Jan. 23 by the AJUSD Governing Board.

“I am very supportive of this. I am happy that we are bringing it back to our district. It’s an invaluable service,” board member Bobby Bauders said prior to the vote. “I am hopeful maybe in the future we can have a discussion with them about expanding it to families and staff as well,” he said.

“I just think that it’s wonderful to have the partnership that the students get their additional education outside the classroom and it supports the community that needs this type of help. So fantastic,” board member Gail Ross said.

“I’m glad that we’re bringing it back,” board member Cami Garcia said.

“Why did we every get rid of it to begin with?” Board Vice President Gil Cancio asked. “I’m glad it’s coming back. I have no idea why it was done away with.”

Parents will be notified when the dental students will be at the schools.

“The school will be in touch with us when they have the openings so that we can advertise when they will be here at schools and they’ll have pre-signup like they used to do so parents give consent for the dental students to work on the students’ teeth,” AJUSD Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said.

The program was active as late as 2018. That was when AJUSD gave an award to two individuals from A.T. Still University to thank them for seven years of the free service where dental students studied and treated the teeth and gums of youngsters.

At that time, the school-based program provided portable preventive dentistry and served as an internal clinical rotation for third-year students at ATSU-ASDOH, according to a story and photo in the May 1, 2018, issue of the Apache Junction/Gold Canyon Independent.

AJUSD has three elementary schools, a junior high school and a high school. The district is from Meridian Road on the west to the town of Queen Valley on the east and from the Goldfield Mountains to the north, south into the San Tan Corridor. Communities served include Apache Junction, Gold Canyon, Peralta Trail, Queen Valley and unincorporated Pinal County land in-between.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.