Annual Oral Health Fair Held at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club of Roxbury

On March 4, the Boston University chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA) sponsored an oral health fair at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club of Roxbury in collaboration with the Division of Community Health Programs (CHP). Courtney Brady DMD 11 and Dee Gulis DMD 12 coordinated the logistics of this annual, interactive event.

The Boys and Girls Club has members ages 6 through 18, however the oral health fair mostly draws children under 14 years old. At this event, children receive dental passports and are encouraged to visit six stations to learn about different aspects of dental health. After visiting a station, children receive a sticker on their passport and once they collect all six stickers they are given a goodie bag filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, sports mouth guard, and games.

When Brady questioned a young Boys and Girls Club member about what he had learned, he eagerly replied, “I learned that you should not smoke, because it makes your tongue nasty!”

While stationed at Table 1, Gulis taught children about healthy eating. Popular junk food and beverage products were on display with their sugar quantity displayed in a test tube. Gulis remarked, “This is a really good interactive event. It’s a lot of fun for both the kids and the dental students!”

"I’d like to commend CHP Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri and the 14 GSDM students who participated in this wonderful outreach event," said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. "The yearly dedication of their time and efforts to put on this interactive health fair sets a wonderful example for the entire GSDM community."

Photos from the event are available on the GSDM flickr account and facebook page.