enlarge Jack Milton/Staff Photographer

Janelle DeNormandie, a dental hygiene student at the University of New England's Westbrook College campus, cleans Gene Boyington's teeth in the clinic. UNE is trying to recruit 300 patients to have their teeth cleaned because patient numbers have recently dropped.

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Where to go:

 

University of New England

716 Stevens Ave.

Portland

For appointments: 221-4900. The clinic offers oral exams, cleanings, x-rays, fluoride treatments andsealant placements. The average adult cleaning costs $27. Senior citizen discounts and children's discounts are available.

University College of Bangor

29 Texas Ave.

Bangor

For appointments: 262-7872. All dental hygiene services are provided, including oral exams, dentalcleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, athletic mouth guards and x-rays. A typical cleaning costs $27 for adults or $22 for children under 13.

Low prices for cleanings, X-rays and other dental care normally make for brisk business at the University of New England dental hygiene clinic in Portland. But not this year.

UNE is running short of the patients it needs to train students in its program. Last week it issued a press release in an effort to recruit another 300 people for the clinic over the next month.

Director Bernice Mills says the rising costs of heating oil, gas and other essentials are probably to blame.“It’s usually slow in January, but then things pick up,” she said. “We’re theorizing that it has to do with the economy, and people are seeing this as something they can put off.”

The executive director of the Maine Dental Association says practicing dentists and hygienists are seeing a similar trend in offices across the state.

“Dentistry for some people comes out of their discretionary income, so to speak,” said Frances Miliano. “And if they’re ratcheting back some things so they can keep their houses warm, it sort of makes sense.”

UNE has about 155 students in its dental hygiene program, which combines classroom instruction and exams with hands-on skill development in the clinic on its Stevens Avenue campus. The students treat about 5,000 patients a year from as far away as Kittery, Bethel and Camden, Mills said.

Working under the direct supervision of faculty members, the students provide a range of preventive services, such as oral exams, cleanings, X-rays and fluoride treatments.

Because the work is done by students under the supervision of faculty, appointments take longer than in a typical dentist’s office, Mills said. But the prices make up for it.

Standard cleanings generally cost $20 for children up to age 13 and $30 for older patients, and senior citizens get a discount. That compares to market rates for cleanings that range from $50 to $120 in southern Maine. A clinic visit that includes an exam, cleaning and basic x-rays averages $27, while the same services in a dentist’s office may cost up to $250, Mills said.

Lyn Richardson of Naples, who had an appointment for a cleaning for the first time Wednesday, said the inexpensive care was what drew her to the clinic. She brought her 21-year-old daughter, Jessica, a student who is no longer covered by the family’s dental insurance.

“It’s better than paying a hundred and some dollars for a regular dentist,” Jessica Richardson said.

But even the good deals aren’t attracting as many people in today’s economy. So UNE is trying to drum up more patients for its student hygienists by getting the word out about its clinic.

Mills said she understands the choices people have to make in today’s economy, but she notes that delaying preventive care for too long can have costly consequences for both dental and financial health.

“Preventive care is much less expensive than more involved dental work done later,” she said. Mills said research also has shown a link between oral health and heart disease and stroke.<

Gene Boyington, a Freeport resident who has been going to the clinic for two years, said he values the treatment he has been getting. “With my efforts and those of the school and the students, my dental health now is much better than it was two years ago,” he said.

Peggy Morse, an administrative assistant who books patient appointments for the dental hygiene clinic at University College of Bangor, said that program has also seen a decline in appointments. About 70 students are enrolled in the program, operated by the University of Maine at Augusta.

The trend isn’t confined to student dental clinics.No formal surveys have been done, but anecdotal evidence indicates that licensed dentists...