UT Health Science Center and Partners Celebrate Completion of New Kingsport Dental Clinic

A "floss-cutting" Wednesday marked the completion of construction on the Kingsport Dental Clinic of the Appalachian Highlands, a collaborative effort to expand access to dental services in East Tennessee.

Community leaders, partners. and supporters, gathered Wednesday in Kingsport, Tennessee, for a "floss-cutting" to mark the completion of construction on the Kingsport Dental Clinic of the Appalachian Highlands, a new collaborative dental clinic that will be operated by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Dentistry. The clinic aims to improve access to oral health services in that city and region.

The Kingsport clinic is a product of the Healthy Smiles Initiative, a $94 million multiyear effort to improve oral health care throughout Tennessee. The College of Dentistry is expected to receive $53 million of the funding over several years to expand dental class sizes to grow the state's dental workforce and open clinics like the one in Kingsport in areas of need across the state.

With the tremendous support from the city of Kingsport and other partners, including East Tennessee State University, Ballad Health, Delta Dental of Tennessee, Eastman, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, the College of Dentistry will place fourth-year dental students on rotation under the supervision of faculty to provide dental services and gain valuable clinical experience.

"What we do in the college has a direct impact on the oral health and well-being of Tennessee's citizens," said Ken Tilashalski, DMD, dean of the College of Dentistry, who was in attendance at the event. "By sending students to train here, we hope to provide an immediate service to the people of Kingsport. But more than that, we hope to demonstrate to our students that Kingsport and East Tennessee are wonderful places to live, work, and practice."

College of Dentistry Dean Ken Tilashalski, at the podium, and former Dean James Ragain, left, were on hand for the festive event Wednesday.

The event marks the beginning of the first phase of the collaboration with community leaders in the Tri-Cities. In September, the college will begin sending students to train in the new facility. Every two weeks, four students from the college will be sent to receive hands-on training, treating patients in the city. Future phases will include an Advanced Education in General Dentistry program for residents and planned opportunities for a cohort of third- and fourth-year students to study full time in Kingsport. The city of Kingsport received a $6.5 million grant from the state to support the build out of future phases.

The floss-cutting celebrated the significant contributions from a number of corporate partners. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and Delta Dental of Tennessee each contributed toward equipment expenses, while the Eastman Foundation announced a $1 million grant for construction costs.

"Eastman's founder George Eastman established the first U.S. free dentistry clinic in 1917 in Rochester, New York, because he recognized a need for accessible preventive dental care. Fast forward more than 100 years, and the Eastman Foundation is honoring his legacy through its support of the Kingsport Dental Clinic," said Paula Bulcao, Eastman Foundation executive director. "We know our families, friends, and neighbors need access to quality care and services, and this dental clinic will deliver on both."

In February, community partners and the College of Dentistry celebrated the start of the new clinic's construction, joined by University of Tennessee President Randy Boyd. During construction, the clinic hosted visits from Governor Bill Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, and U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger.

The clinic is a collaborative effort with community, corporate, academic, and government partners. Delta Dental of Tennessee contributed funds for equipment expenses. Phil Wenk, Delta Dental's retired chief executive officer, an alumnus and chair of UT Health Science Center's Advisory Board, and CEO of the Smile180 Foundation, spoke at the event.

Planning for the next phase has already begin. "We are not done yet," said James Ragain, DDS, former dean of the College of Dentistry. "There is more work to be done, and we will do it. Just look at what we've already achieved."

Kingsport City Manager Chris McCartt echoed Dr. Ragain's remarks. "We are committed to building this collaboration, and we look forward to continuing to work with the University of Tennessee and all of our partners," he said.

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