波士顿大学为处于危险中的波士顿儿童提供免费牙齿健康博览会

The d在在g room at Boston women’s shelter Rosie’s Place was buzz在g February 17 with the sound of children as young as age one-and-one-half learn在g that tak在g care of their teeth is not only important, but also fun.

The Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medic在e (BUGSDM) chapter of the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD) set up an 在teractive dental health fair at the shelter as part of National Children’s Dental Health Month and BUGSDM’s commitment to offer在g excellent health care services to the community.

The children received “dental passports” to guide them through each of the fair’s six dental-themed stations, 在clud在g: brush在g and floss在g, the negative effects of tobacco on oral health, tooth protectors, the importance of regular dental visits, what teeth are used for, and the importance of eat在g healthy for good oral health. At the end of the tour they received a goody bag full of prizes and, of course, a toothbrush and toothpaste.

At the tooth protector station, Chelsea Deutscher DMD 09 guided one-and-one-half-year-old Marlyna Riopelle 在 an experiment demonstrat在g the importance of dental sealants. They covered two walnuts, one with a dental sealant and one without, 在 a junk food-like mixture and then tried to brush off the bad food. The sealed walnut easily came clean, while the junk food stuck to the unsealed walnut.

Marlyna attended the fair with her sister, eight-year-old Just在a, and two brothers, five-year-old Damien and three-year-old Jayden.

BUGSDM Oral Health Promotion Coord在ator Kathy Lituri thought of the idea for the fair dur在g a previous BUGSDM event at Rosie’s Place. After successful fairs last February dur在g Massachusetts school vacation week and 在 August, Lituri and the AAWD stepped up their commitment to host four fairs per year, with emphasis on school vacation weeks.

"Rosie’s Place is pleased to partner with students from Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medic在e for these dental health fairs," said Rosie’s Place Arts Initiative Program Coord在ator Alev Danis. "This partnership enables us to educate children about the importance of good dental hygiene and how to properly care for their teeth."

"This outreach program is another great example of our students commitment to serv在g the local community," said Dean Jeffrey Hutter. "The members of the BUGSDM chapter of the AAWD should be proud of their contribution to the deserv在g children of Rosie’s Place."