GREAT FALLS — Great Falls College-MSU’s Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting students, as well as several community health organizations, hosted the fifth annual "No Smile Left Behind Community Dental Day and Health Fair" on Saturday.
The event included free teeth cleanings and extractions and educational health booths. The free health fair, hosted by partners from Healthy Lives, Vibrant Futures included interactive and preventive healthcare vendors.
Dozens of attendees visited the college to learn about healthcare resources and receive free dental services such as cleanings and extractions.
All community members were eligible to attend the clinic for free.
Event spokeswoman Rebecca Cochran explained, "There's a direct correlation to dental health and overall health. The plaque on your teeth is directly correlated to the plaque on your heart. It's two different forms of plaque. However, the more plaque you have on your teeth, it seems to be the more plaque you have on your heart. And as we all know plaque on your heart can lead to stroke, can lead to heart attack, high blood pressure, so reducing that plaque can help reduce the plaque in other parts of your body. So that is why this preventative care is so important."
