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Topics To Be Announced Monday Nov. 5, 2012
2012 - 2013 Lincoln Dental Assistants Society
Board Members
Children’s Dental Health Month activity at the Children’s
Museum in Lincoln
Every February, the Lincoln Dental Assistants Society organizes an event to provide oral hygiene instructions to children. This year, it was decided to return to the Children’s Museum in Lincoln and devote an entire day to the children at the facility. Both active and student members participated in the event, giving the children toothbrushes, oral hygiene instructions, and providing many other activities. Dental Day at UNMC Dental College in Lincoln Nebraska
CHILDREN'S DENTAL DAY
In fall, 2001, the UNMC College of Dentistry made a commitment to and began a program to devote its entire Lincoln facility, students, staff and faculty for a full day to provide dental screening, diagnosis, cleaning and care to underserved children in Nebraska. They have asked that the dental assistants from Southeast Community College Lincoln Dental Assisting Program join and participate in this event. Children come typically from non-fluoridated communities and have little or no access to dental care. Children are usually identified by district health departments, often working in conjunction with school nurses and other care givers. These volunteers coordinate the children’s participation with the informed consent process which requires the parent /guardian to give written consent and to provide a health history for the child. The local volunteers also arrange with local dentist to provide a screening examination at which X-rays are taken and a preliminary diagnosis and treatment plan is developed. For the February program, children from all over eastern Nebraska are identified, screened and come to the college for a full day. About 200 children are scheduled for procedures ranging from cleaning to restorations, extractions, pulpotomies, stainless steel crowns and even root canal therapy for some of the older children. Besides clinical dental procedures, the children are able to take part in educational games and activities deigned to increase their awareness of oral health and the importance of taking care of their teeth while they are young. Since inception, the event has treated over 4,500 children and provided services valued at over $2M to low income and underserved children in Nebraska. |
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