2007 40 Under 40 Honoree: Dr. Carrie Arquitt

Dr. Carrie Arquitt’s mother told her, “Get your education first,” and the advice always stuck with her. Arquitt has a bachelor’s from the University of Central Florida, and she earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1996, and her Master of Science degree and a Certificate of Pediatric Dentistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1999.

Her long list of work with academic, professional and philanthropic organizations includes the Missouri Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, the Tennessee Society of Pediatric Dentistry, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and a stint in 2002 with the Ronald McDonald House Charities’ Tooth Truck. However, Arquitt is most proud of her work as the first dentist at Jordan Valley Community Health Center.

“We went from an empty building to a fully functioning dental clinic in a little over three months,” Arquitt said. “I hired all the staff, ordered the dental equipment and supplies, set the policy and procedure manual, and developed the patient paperwork and files.”

The population at the clinic, she said, goes largely untreated because of access-to-care issues.

“Because this is an underserved population, it is not unusual to have patients travel one to two hours for these services,” she added.

At home, Arquitt enjoys sampling the barbecue experiments of her husband, George, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon at OMS Group, and spending time with their children, Katherine, 3, and Ansley, 2.

She’s also working on the next phase of her career ideally designed to allow her more family time and felxibility. “I am opening my own pediatric dental practice this summer and hope that it will be a successful practice that is a fun place to visit, catering to Springfield’s children’s oral health,” Arquitt said.

Stats

Position: Pediatric Dentist, Jordan Valley Community Health Center

Age: 37

Favorite professional sports team: None – “I really like college basketball.”

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