Courtesy Photo | Womack Army Medical Center pediatric dental team visit Fort Bragg elementary and...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, NC-- In a targeted effort to work themselves out of a job, the pediatric dental team from Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC) spent last week visiting Fort Bragg elementary and intermediate schools, providing critical oral health education and screenings to hundreds of students.
Ensuring the health of military dependents allows service members to focus on their primary mission without the distraction of family health crises.
The initiative, held in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, saw the hospital’s dental team expand its reach significantly this year. While the program previously focused on a smaller footprint, the team successfully added two elementary schools to their roster, alongside their recurring visits to Hampton and Devers Elementary. For Lt. Col. Sheteka Ross-Goodlett, pediatric dentist and general dentistry and endodontic residency mentor leading the outreach, the mission is simple: break the cycle of dental decay before it starts.
"Our goal is prevention," she explained. "We see the effects when our Soldiers come in as18 year-olds who had poor dental care as children. It creates an immediate readiness issue. We want to stop that cycle. If we can reach them while they are enthusiastic and impressionable, we can prevent the need for more invasive procedures later."
By intervening during elementary school, the WAMC dental team is effectively pre-screening and educating the next generation of possible service members. The team focused on several key areas during their visits: · Proper Brushing Techniques: Hands-on education on maintaining oral hygiene. · Nutritional Guidance: Identifying healthy vs. unhealthy foods for tooth enamel. · Risk Identification: Conducting screenings to find students with immediate dental needs.
The success of the program relies heavily on the coordination between the hospital and school staff. A school nurse at Devers Elementary emphasized that the students look forward to the annual visit.
"The kids love having them here," Devers Elementary school nurse Edgardo Martinez, noted. "It’s about promoting the importance of getting checked twice a year and knowing the signs of cavities. That partnership with the hospital is vital for our students’ health."
While this year's final data is still being compiled, previous years suggest the screenings are a crucial safety net. In 2025, the team identified that approximately 5% of the student population had immediate dental needs. Those students were either treated at Womack or referred to outside providers to ensure they didn't fall through the cracks.
The expansion of the program was made possible by a surge in support from Soldiers who volunteered from DENTAC and the257th Medical Company - Dental Area Support, working alongside school administrators to reach more classrooms than ever before.
“We could not have been successful without all that help and coordination," Goodlett said. "It’s a team effort to ensure these kids don't become lifelong dental patients due to preventable issues." To learn about WAMC Dental Clinic visit https://womack.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Dental
| Date Taken: | 02.27.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2026 16:13 |
| Story ID: | 559135 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 17 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, WAMC Dental Team Expands Outreach to Fort Bragg Schools, by Keisha Frith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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