Students of Woodland Elementary will leave school on Feb. 7 with brighter smiles thanks to the generosity of Third Street Family Health Services and the Give Kids A Smile program.
The Give Kids A Smile program was started in 2003 by the American Dental Association as a way for dentists to join with others in the community and provide dental services to underserved children. Third Street Family Health Services is one of the only local dental offices to participate in the program.
Since 2012, Third Street’s dental office has picked an elementary school to travel to and invites the entire school to sign up for dental treatment that day. According to Laura Longwell, RDH at Third Street’s dental office, last year’s Give Kids A Smile day attracted 118 students, forcing the office to extend the event an extra day.
“A lot of the kids that sign up haven’t seen the dentist; maybe it’s their very first visit, or they’re in desperate need of some dental care,” said Longwell. “We focus on elementary students because it’s easier; when you get into middle school a visual exam doesn’t cut it, so you need to get x-rays and those aren’t portable for us. We can give students an idea of if they need immediate care versus just stay with your regular cleaning because your teeth are looking awesome.”
Longwell explained when a student comes for treatment they will meet the dentist. Dr. Ryan Higgins will perform a clinical exam with a mirror and explorer. From there, two registered dental hygienists Cathy Alt and Theresa Arnett will document whether the student has cavities and send a note home to parents.
“The student will get their teeth cleaned and if they need any sealants, which is a protective coating on permanent back molars, they’ll get those that day as well,” said Longwell. “So we’ll do an exam, cleaning and sealants if needed, and a fluoride treatment. All for free.”
Every student in the school will also receive a toothbrush and toothpaste, courtesy of donors Henry Schein and Colgate. In addition to Higgins, Alt, Arnett and Longwell, the office will have three dental assistants, one secretary and one member of the medial staff accompanying them to Woodland Elementary.
Third Street’s dental office has decided to expand Give Kids A Smile to a health fair encompassing the entire school. Longwell explained if the office only sees kids that have signed up for dental treatment, three fourths of the school will miss out on the day.
“We will take over the gym, and we will have the Mansfield Public Library there with a reading display, a nutritionist from MedCentral along with Ashland University students to talk about healthy snacks, will have an exercise station, and face painting,” she said.
As for her part, Longwell will spend the day in roller skates and wings, dressed up as the Tooth Fairy and skating all over the school to each classroom to provide dental education. She noted she would also be traveling to The Little Buckeye Museum from 10 to 10:30 a.m. to provide dental education to preschoolers, and to craft with them a Tooth Fairy pillow.
Students right now are designing posters around the theme of “what National Children’s Dental Health means to you,” with one boy and girl from each grade level picked as winners to display their posters at The Little Buckeye Museum throughout the month of February.
The importance of Give Kids A Smile is not to be understated. Longwell said the number one disease in children is tooth decay, with an estimated 51 million hours of school each year lost because of dental-related illnesses according to a 1997 study from the Department of Dental Ecology at the University of North Carolina. She added the students at Woodland Elementary are not the only ones who benefit from this information.
“Educating parents is number one, a lot of parents don’t realize milk naturally has sugar and juice has just as much damaging effects of sugar and acid as soda,” said Longwell. “We have to educate parents on what they’re giving their kids as part of their daily diet.”
