As Meharry Medical dental students, we advocate for alcohol and oral cancer awareness

As we toasted our last glass of wine during our honeymoon to close out the year 2023, we reflect on our warm years of friendship together.

Moving to Nashville, last summer to attend Meharry Medical College with the hopes of becoming dentists was truly a leap of faith. Faith in fact, is the foundation of Meharry Medical College, whose motto is “Worship of God Through Service to Mankind.”

Almost 150 years ago, this Historically Black College and University (HBCU) became the first medical school in the American South for African Americans and a monumental part of Black history.

Originating from a chance encounter in the 1820s known as the Salt Wagon Story, the school would come to be established in 1876 as the Meharry Medical Department of Central Tennessee College.

Eight years later, Dean George Whipple Hubbard, M.D. collected the necessary funds and with the help of William Henry Morgan, M.D., D.D.S., founding Dean of the Department of Dentistry at Vanderbilt University, started the process to establish Meharry’s dental program.

On Oct. 4, 1886, Meharry’s dental program admitted its first class of students, nine in total, with three being physicians, making it the first dental school in the American South for aspiring African American dentists.

Meharry is taking on global and local health issues affecting populations

Today, Meharry Medical College leads the country in graduating Black physicians, dentists, researchers, and health policy experts who go into underserved communities and live out this mission of humble and compassionate service.

Taking the initiative on producing better health outcomes has been key to the college’s success. From spearheading clinical vaccine trials to establishing the nation’s first School of Global Health, Meharry has consistently been a pioneer of excellency in healthcare and education.

This is why Dr. James Hildreth, president & CEO of Meharry Medical College and Dr. Richard Piper, CEO of Alcohol Change UK have teamed up to showcase Meharry Medical College as the official home of Dry January® USA.

Dry January® is the official one-month alcohol-free challenge that started in the United Kingdom, 10 years ago and has promoted the numerous health benefits associated with reduced alcohol intake and moderation. We loved participating in this campaign, the genuine relationships we made, and enjoy the Try Dry® app, which is a great and free tool that can help you year-round with tracking your drinking behaviors, setting goals, and overall motivation for a healthier relationship with alcohol.

April serves as both Alcohol and Oral Cancer Awareness Month. Started by the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Alcohol Awareness Month has evolved from a public health program targeting college students to a nationally recognized educational resource on alcohol abuse and how to support families affected by this addiction.

Do not avoid tending to your health even if you are uninsured

In this country, alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of death. Interestingly enough, one of the top risk factors for oral cancer incidence, backed by research, is heavy drinking.

Oral Cancer Awareness Month is supported by various dental associations such as the Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Periodontology and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Every hour, someone dies from a form of oral cancer, with a relatively high mortality rate, because it is often diagnosed too late. This is why it is so important to regularly visit your dentist who can screen you for oral cancer.

If you are uninsured, the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry offers free or reduced cost dental services. The bi-annual Oral Health Day and weekly Salt Wagon Clinic are free of charge: https://home.mmc.edu/school-of-dentistry/dental-care/

Raymond Tunoa-Scanlan, a first-year Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry student and his wife, Margaret Tunoa-Scanlan, an MHS graduate student at Meharry Medical College are aspiring dentists with the desire to treat those in need around the globe.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Meharry Medical College: Raise alcohol use and oral cancer awareness