Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 1, Page 30 Fall 1993 Alumni Profile Pro bono dentistry On Valentine's Day, dentist H. Dean McSpadden, Delaware '76, sees patients who are happy to be sitting in a dental chair. "It's much different from the kind of dentistry we do ordinarily. These are people who have an overwhelming need to have dentistry done, and they're very appreciative of our work. They thank us a thousand times." McSpadden and his six-member staff have set aside four days this year at their Wilmington, Del., practice, including a Sunday, to see residents of a local Child Inc. shelter for battered women and their children. A member of Doctors With A Heart, the world's largest, doctor-sponsored charity, founded in 1986 with over 15,000 members from dentists to podiatrists, McSpadden is the first Delaware doctor to participate, although he says he has been approached by several colleagues interested in joining the organization. He and his staff devoted seven hours last Valentine's Day, seeing over 20 people from the shelter. Since then, he has set aside days on three other occasions for the same clientele. McSpadden says he is especially sympathetic to the plight of battered women since his mother and sister were once victims. The doctor and his staff have addressed emergencies, such as gum disease, and they try to prevent other dental problems from occurring through home-care instruction. "I think 90 percent of dentistry is home care; it's what the patients do when they leave here. If we can teach them how to care for their mouths, they will have taken a big step toward preventing bad things from happening," he says. -Bill Clark, Delaware '82