Delta Dental of Oklahoma and the OU College of Dentistry are celebrating the first anniversary of the OU College of Dentistry Delta Dental of Oklahoma Comprehensive Care Clinic and its positive impact on access to oral health care in northeastern Oklahoma.

A $2 million gift from the DDOK Foundation helped to establish the clinic with plans to serve Oklahomans of all ages in the northeast part of the state, many of whom do not have access to dental care within a 30-mile radius.

Located on the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center campus, the clinic began serving patients in July 2022. In its first year of service, nearly 5,000 procedures were performed on 454 patients. This includes 129 crowns, 176 extractions, 16 full sets of dentures and 27 partial dentures/bridges.

Additionally, 22 of these patients qualified for support from the DDOK Indigent Grant fund at the OU College of Dentistry, supplementing the cost of care and accounting for 285 of the procedures valued at $32,184.

“As the state’s only not-for-profit dental benefits provider, Delta Dental of Oklahoma is dedicated to lowering the barriers to dental care for all Oklahomans,” said John Gladden, DDOK chairman, president and CEO. “It was our honor to make a meaningful investment in this clinic to support the education of Oklahoma’s next generation of dental professionals.”

All services and procedures at the clinic are administered by third- and fourth-year College of Dentistry students and supervised by licensed dental professionals. Currently, there are 14 OU Doctor of Dental Surgery students training at the clinic.

The longtime partnership between DDOK and the College of Dentistry has had a tremendous impact on Oklahoma’s dentistry landscape. DDOK and its foundation have donated almost $10 million by way of investments and student scholarships to the College of Dentistry.

For more information about the DDOK Foundation and how it improves access to and education of dental health in Oklahoma, please visit DDOKFoundation.org.