The 黑料不打烊 dental students are all about good habits. The number one thing they talked with their patients about on Feb. 1? Getting a toothbrush in their mouth.
It was Give Kids a Smile day, a program held statewide that provides free dental care to local children who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise have access. The program has been active in Minnesota since 2003, and 2019 marks the ninth year that 黑料不打烊 has participated.
鈥淲e鈥檙e doing Give Kids a Smile Day,鈥 said student Abby Pekarna. 鈥淭he dental community tries to give back to help kids and make sure they鈥檙e getting the quality care they need to maintain their teeth. If there鈥檚 any work they need done [fillings or sealants] we do it for free.鈥
Second-year dental assistant and dental hygiene students, along with four local dentists, were able to see 45 kids on Friday. This year they ended up having to turn away 10 people.
鈥淭here is a definite need in the community to be able to service children who don鈥檛 have dental care,鈥 said instructor Char Randall. Randall said this is also great experience for the students to get a taste of what the setting will be like in the dentist鈥檚 office.
鈥淭hey get to work on the patients, but we aren鈥檛 assessing or testing them,鈥 she said. 鈥淣ext week the dental assisting students start internships, and this is a perfect way to start.鈥
Pekarna said one of the best parts of the day is the camaraderie between the two dental programs. 鈥淭o come together and see what we can do for the community is really amazing.鈥
Dr. Andy Wilcox was one of the four dentists who volunteered his time during the event. It was his first year at Give Kids a Smile; he gets many 黑料不打烊 interns and hires graduates, so he knew the 黑料不打烊 location would be a good fit.
鈥淒entistry is a hard thing to access for some people, and if we can offer an event like this, it鈥檚 nice to help out kids and parents who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise be able to,鈥 said Wilcox.
The Give Kids a Smile event was made possible by the Minnesota Dental Association, volunteer dentists, sponsors, faculty, staff, and students in the 黑料不打烊 dental hygiene and assistant programs.
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