Tash Mahnokaren
Staff Writer
When it comes to dental concerns, securing a clinic that can provide quality service and is dedicated to catering to the needs of patients at an affordable cost can be an ongoing pursuit.
This also remains at the heart of concern for Clinical Associate Professor in Idaho State University’s Dental Hygiene department, Meg Long-Woodhouse who has been recently appointed to serve on the Idaho State Board of Dentistry.
“My idea is just to give back,” said Long-Woodhouse. “Many other faculty from our department have been on the board before and we like to really keep a finger on the pulse.”
Long-Woodhouse, who was born in Oregon, is originally from Twin Falls where she was raised. When it came to thinking about where and what she wanted to pursue as a career, ISU, a mere 120 miles away with one of the best dental hygiene programs in the nation became a viable option.
The newly appointed board member received her degree in Dental Hygiene from ISU and has now been working at the university for more than 35 years.
Positions on the board are normally governor appointed and require nominations from the Idaho State Dental Association. Age and experience stand as vital criteria in deciding who will serve on the board.
Long-Woodhouse normally devotes one day of her week at the dental residency where she works as a hygienist and volunteers at the Pocatello Free Clinic at least three times a month.
ISU is the only university in the state of Idaho offering an undergraduate program in Dental Hygiene.
“The commitment of the faculty to make sure that the students are as competent and well prepared as they can be because we want them to go out and offer care to the patients of Idaho or wherever they may choose to go,” said Long-Woodhouse.
On Wednesdays, seniors in the program also learn how to perform extended procedures where certain practices that are not legal for hygienists to perform in Idaho are taught to facilitate practice in surrounding states.
As an asset to ISU, Long-Woodhouse’s position on the board will allow her to be up to date and aware of dental concerns on a state level because the dental hygiene program at the university is essentially preparing other dental hygienists.
This information is also essential to students of the dental hygiene department in helping them to gain a nurturing educational experience in line with the prospective outlook of dentistry.
Long-Woodhouse expresses that while she has attended board meetings in the past, she has never been in the capacity to vote or advise.
In her new position, she hopes to be able to reach out to individuals in rural areas who do not have access to adequate dental care along with addressing other concerns.
Extended access licenses allow hygienists to provide assistance to those in rural areas and Long-Woodhouse hopes to be able to provide avenues in which dental hygienists are able to perform certain procedures that are normally done by dentists to which hygienists are also capable.
“I would like to see us expand that even more where we can go out and do pit and fissure sealants without a dentist on site to check the teeth,” said Long-Woodhouse.
“It is one of those positions where you want to give back because the profession has been very good to me and if I can help affect change in a positive way and always keep the best interest of the patients of Idaho,” said Long-Woodhouse. “We are there to serve so public health safety and performing the types of procedures that are going to be beneficial to patients has got to be a number-one priority and always will be for me.”
