SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Brett Leslie, DMD

Young dentist making a difference on multiple oral health initiatives

One of the patients dentist Brett Leslie recalls vividly from his work at Community Care Clinic of Rowan in Salisbury had to have all of her teeth extracted because of decay caused by past drug abuse and years of neglected dental care. A new set of dentures gave her a new outlook on life.

“She was so thankful to have her smile back and said that with the confidence she derived from her new smile, she was going to pursue nursing school,” Brett said. “We helped her so that she can in turn help others.”

The opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others sparked Brett’s interest in public health dentistry early on during his days as an undergraduate at Chapel Hill, and at the ripe old age of 30, he has emerged as a rising star on the oral health scene for North Carolina’s free and charitable clinics.

The Salisbury native joined CCC Rowan as a paid staff dentist in 2021 after a brief stint in private practice following graduation from dental school at East Carolina University in 2019. Now he’s lending a hand on  initiatives involving other members of the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics.

He worked with Cook Community Clinic and Matthews Free Medical Clinic on an earlier mobile dental effort and is now helping the NCAFCC’s new mobile dental unit get up and running. He assists Moore Free & Charitable Clinic’s new dental clinic and helped launch the NCAFCC’s dental networking group.

“I love free and charitable clinics because they serve such a huge need,” Brett said. “We serve people who can’t afford dental care, but they’re working and making too much to get government assistance. All of the clinics are doing such great work and they’re all so different, which is cool to see.”

Brett got his first taste of public health dentistry at the clinic the summer after his freshman year at Chapel Hill in 2012, shadowing volunteer dentist David Mayberry. He volunteered throughout college and dental school, and when he graduated and went to work for a local dentist, something was missing.

“There’s so much more fulfillment (working at CCC Rowan) than I found in private practice because you’re touching lives and you’re changing your community, which happens to be my own community,” Brett said. “But you’re also working with a great group of people. I’ve worked with a lot of different free clinics, and they’re all full of good people because they all have the heart for this, which you’ve got to have to do this type of work because it has its challenges as well.”

“Dr. Leslie has really become a beloved part of what we do here each day,” said Krista Woolly, executive director of CCC Rowan. “He is interested in dentistry, sure, but also in the whole person and how their oral health affects overall health. He loves to teach and to think big picture.”

Brett’s passion for teaching both patients and other dental health professionals is clearly part of the fulfillment he derives from his work. He shares the story of a patient who was embarrassed by her smile because of a buildup of plaque and calculus so heavy he could barely see her teeth.

“All we did for her was clean her teeth and educate her on how to properly brush and floss, something she had never been taught before, as is true for most patients,” Brett said. “We empowered her to take care of herself. She acquired Medicaid but wrote us a touching note expressing her immense gratitude for that small but important step of patient education.”

Brett played a key role in launching the association’s dental networking group, a new vehicle to help clinics share best practices and standardize care. The group’s first meeting in May featured a speaker from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, where Brett is an instructor in the dental assisting program.

“I’m thrilled that Dr. Leslie is taking the lead on this project and feel that with his expertise, the NCAFCC dental efforts will be consistent and efficient,” said Krista, who in addition to leading CCC Rowan also works on behalf of all 69 NCAFCC member clinics in her role chairing the association’s board of directors.

Brett is excited to see so many initiatives to expand access to oral health care across the NCAFCC’s free and charitable clinic footprint – from Macon County in Western North Carolina to Dare County on the Outer Banks – that are currently underway or have recently borne fruit.

“It’s just so important, for overall health, for esteem, for employability,” Brett said. “By treating dental disease in the clinics, we’re saving hospital emergency rooms a lot of time and money, and just reducing that societal burden of dental disease, especially in rural counties.”

CCC Rowan’s dental practice saw 507 unique patients, provided 1,600 visits, performed more than 6,000 procedures, and delivered more than $740,000 in free dental treatment in 2023. And by keeping patients (medical and dental) out of the local ER, the clinic estimates it saved Novant Health over $4 million.

Brett thinks it’s important that free and charitable clinics are private, volunteer-driven, community-based solutions to their communities’ needs, and being able to serve uninsured and underinsured neighbors in his own hometown makes his work at CCC Rowan especially meaningful to him.

“The clinic just serves a huge need in the community – as all the free and charitable clinics do – but this is my community so I can see the difference it is making,” Brett said. “Some of the patients I know. One patient a few years ago was someone I went to high school with, so I really get a sense that it’s making a difference in people’s lives, and Rowan County is very fortunate to have it.”