A smile-worthy step

Seemingly small steps can make a world of difference to average North Carolinians, and a decision by the UNC Board of Governors to create a dental school at East Carolina University fits that description. For years, residents in rural North Carolina have had to travel long distances, or have gone without dental care, because of a lack of dentists willing to serve outlying regions. North Carolina has fewer dentists per capita than all but three states, and the deficit is particularly acute in rural counties.

The board's ECU decision stands to help patients in pain but also youngsters who now have little hope of receiving basic preventive care. The program at the Greenville campus will feature up to 10 clinics established in underserved areas. Scheduled to open around 2010, the dental school will focus on recruiting students from rural parts of the state who may be drawn to underserved areas once they graduate. The board also approved expansion of the state's only current public dental school at UNC-Chapel Hill.

ECU already has a fine track record of looking out for the health-care interests of rural residents. Its Brody School of Medicine uses a similar recruiting model, and nearly 30 percent of its graduates practice in rural North Carolina. The university will seek $90 million from the legislature for its school. It shapes up as money well spent, because good dental health is itself a money-saver for both the state and its residents. Also, a major goal of public universities should be alleviating the suffering -- economic or physical -- of ordinary North Carolinians.

The state will do better at attracting jobs to rural areas if can show that it is pro-active in regards to health care. It also can solidify its status as a progressive place by providing basic medical and dental care to residents in its far-flung corners. The ECU decision is a good step toward that goal.