Next Class Start, Nov 3 and 24 Apply Now
Concorde
1-800-693-7010 Request info

News Article

Concorde Career Colleges Provided Free Dental Cleanings for Communities Nationwide in October

Concorde Staff

Concorde Staff

Share:
Updated October 23, 2025. The information contained in this blog is current and accurate as of this date.
Three-picture collage of Concorde's Making Tampa Smile Event including, two people standing in front a sign, a child smiling in his stroller, and a student providing dental services to a patient.

Over 125 people nationwide are smiling brighter, thanks to Concorde Career College’s National Dental Hygiene Month initiative. Concorde hosted five events in California, Florida, and Missouri, where kids aged 4-17 received no-cost dental services, including cleanings, x-rays, fluoride applications, sealants, and dental kits filled with oral care essentials.

In addition to honoring the dental hygiene profession, October’s awareness month underscores the importance of preventive care and oral health access for children and families. The most recent national data shows that more than 61 million Americans live in dental health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).1

“Oral health impacts overall health—yet so many families face barriers to dental care access. That’s why our students and faculty stepped up to offer no-cost services to our communities and raise awareness about the importance of oral care to health and wellbeing,” said Kevin Prehn, President of Concorde Career Colleges.

Prehn added: “Initiatives like this are deeply meaningful for the Concorde community and we’re grateful to PDS Health, Heartland Dental, and Liberty Dental Plan who helped make the events possible through their sponsorships.”

All services were provided by Concorde’s dental hygiene students under the direct supervision of faculty and licensed dental professionals. Oral care prevention information was also shared with families.

“Dental caries—also known as cavities or tooth decay—is the most prevalent, chronic childhood disease. Through cleanings and preventive care, we can help move the needle on addressing that issue and help set up kids for healthier lives,” said Lisa Thurlow, Clinical Dentist, Concorde–Kansas City.   


In addition to kids, the San Diego and Miramar campuses also served adults and seniors from their communities.

“We had such a fun, productive day of serving children and seniors from our community. It was great hands-on experience for our students, and it was so heartwarming to see all the kids’ smiles. One little girl and her mother insisted we take their picture because they were so excited about their dental cleaning and new electric toothbrush,” said Adela Mills, Dental Hygiene Program Director, Concorde–Miramar.

Several media outlets in California, Florida, and Missouri provided news coverage of the initiative. Feature stories included:

Concorde’s commitment to providing community access to dental care goes beyond National Dental Hygiene Month. Concorde operates Dental Hygiene Clinics at all campuses that offer dental hygiene programs, which are open to the public throughout the year. Clinic hours vary by location. 

Four-picture collage of a Concorde Smile Event including three pictures of students providing dental services and a picture of two patients smiling with their mother.


 

1Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HRSA Data Warehouse, Designated Health Professional Shortage Areas Statistics, viewed October 14, 2025. Direct link to download the quarterly HPSA report.

  1. Program length may be subject to change dependent on transfer credits and course load. Please refer to current course catalog for more information. Concorde does not guarantee admittance, graduation, subsequent employment or salary amount.

  2. Professional certification is not a requirement for graduation, may not be a requirement for employment nor does it guarantee employment.

  3. Financial aid is available to those who qualify but may not be available for all programs. Concorde does not guarantee financial aid or scholarship awards or amounts.

  4. Clinical hour requirements and delivery may vary by campus location and may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee clinical site assignments based upon student preference or geographic convenience; nor do clinical experiences guarantee graduation, post-clinical employment or salary outcomes.

  5. Registration and certification requirements for taking and passing these examinations are not controlled by Concorde, but by outside agencies, and are subject to change by the agency without notice. Therefore, Concorde cannot guarantee that graduates will be eligible to take these exams, at all or at any specific time, regardless of their eligibility status upon enrollment.

  6. Externships are a non-paid in-person learning experience, whose length and location may be subject to change. Concorde does not guarantee externship placement, graduation, post-externship employment or salary outcomes.

  7. Virtual externships are a virtual learning experience offered through Concorde’s learning management system. Concorde does not guarantee placement, graduation, post-externship employment or salary outcomes.