Delta Dental of Kansas has announced a grant of $8,700 to the Dental Assistant program at Salina Area Technical College.
Brooke Horner, Administrator of the Dental Assistant program, said the grant funds will be used to buy:
- Phosphor plates, used for taking dental x-rays
- Three large light boxes, for viewing x-rays
- A Prophy Jet, which cleans teeth using sodium bicarbonate propelled by compressed air
- An oxygen system for patients
- New plastic holders for taking x-rays
- Three pediatric dental mannequins
- Three pediatric typodonts (hinged models of the human mouth)
- Miscellaneous dental instruments
- A human skull
Horner said some of the equipment, such as the phosphor plates, is to replace equipment that wears out over time, while the additional mannequins, mouth models and other items will increase the number of students the program can serve.
In the fall of 2016, Salina Tech had 24 students in the Dental Assistant program, and Horner said she’s expecting 30 when classes start on August 16.
“This gives us enough supplies and equipment so everyone can work at the same time,” Horner said.
This donation is the third from Delta Dental in recent years. Previous donations included $19,700 in 2012 to buy a new digital x-ray machine, and $84,137 in 2014 for various equipment including new dental chairs.
In all, Delta Dental has donated more than $112,000 to Salina Tech in the past four years.
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Story by Mike Strand / Salina Area Technical College
