October 26, 2016
I did my very first event of community service at Hamshire Fannett Elementary. We went to their Trunk-or-Treat to teach the kids about toothbrushing flossing and cavities. The kids brushed the puppets teeth. We stressed the important of limiting sweets and brushing for two minutes and flossing daily. We gave out toothbrushes donated by Dr. David Sonnier and Dr. Rose and also donated toothpaste from Lamar Instititute of Technology. The kids were so happy and excited! It was exciting for me to see all the kids dressed in their Halloween costumes and yet were very interested in listening to what we had to say. |
Kids World Learning Center |
November 2, 2016Here we are at a daycare in Bridge City, Tx. We went to teach the kids about the importance of brushing every day morning and night, and the importance of flossing, and how to avoid getting cavities. We had some dental games and also had them practice brushing on the puppets. The kids had a lot of fun and were very interested in learning about good oral health! I love working with kids! They are always so much fun and keep you on your toes!
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Spring 2016
Bingham Head Start Fluoride Varnish Program
This semester I participated in a community service at Bingham Head Start. We went as a class with Mrs. Tornwall for a Flouride Varnish Program. We visited with the children about brushing their teeth, flossing and cavities. We explained the importance of brushing twice a day for two minutes and how flossing removes the sugar bugs from in between teeth. We explained how having good brushing and flossing helps prevent cavities. Afterwards, they moved on to visit with the dentist on site. The dentist was very friendly with the children and made them feel comfortable and checked for cavities. After visiting the dentist, the children were taken to have 5% NSF Varnish applied on their teeth. The children were so attentive and enjoyed the attention they were getting. They were excited to learn so much about their teeth and I felt so humbled by their reaction. Some of these kids do not have the privilege of going to visit a dentist regularly and I feel it is so important for dental professionals to be able to provide services like this in the community. The core competencies attained in this community service were Community Involvement, Professional Growth Development, and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - 3 hours
Greater Good Hope Baptist Youth Center
We volunteered some time to visit this school to teach kids from ages 5-8 about brushing, flossing, nutrition and cavities. The children were very attentive and excited to play the games we had brought for them. We demonstrated correct tooth brushing and flossing on the puppets. We also had a game where they place the bad food on the bad tooth and good food on the good tooth. This gave them a very good visual idea of what are the better choices for them to prevent cavities. I enjoyed working with children and love seeing their sweet faces light up. The core competencies attained in this community service were Community Involvement, Professional Growth, and Health Promotion and Disease Prevention - 1hour
Overall, I find that I enjoy working with the public. I love interacting, talking to people and what better way to grow as a professional than to get involved in the community and help the community be aware of dental health. Educating the community is a vital role as a dental hygienist.
June 11, 2016- Fall Semester
Julie Rogers "Gift of Life" Men's Program.
This community service was held at Lamar Institute of Technology during my fall semester of my second year in dental hygiene. This was a men's health fair, in which men were able to go in and get cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and many other health related issues checked. Our booth was the first one as the men entered, we were there to talk to them about tobacco and oral health. Our main focus was to explain to them about the damage tobacco can cause to their oral cavity. We had many props set up demonstrating effects of the oral cavity and the lungs. Another focus was to be attentive and listen to see if any men were interested in quitting tobacco. If the men were interested we gave them some information and took their information down as well, to have someone call them to help them get started on quitting tobacco. I feel this was a great health fair and I felt I was really helping the community be aware of the consequences of tobacco. It is alarming to realize some people are very unaware of the consequences of tobacco. This was a very rewarding experience, as I enjoyed this health fair very much. By the middle of this session, I was moved to the center area to help some Spanish speaking men by directing them in the proper direction. While volunteering at this site, I felt very fortunate to be bilingual and be able to reach out to my own ethnic group, which helps me reach out to more people to promote oral health and disease prevention. This has been my favorite community service, I hope to be able to participate with the Julie Rogers "Gift of Life" Men's Program annually. After speaking to the director she is always in search of help for this event.
The core competencies attained in this community service were Community Involvement, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and Professional Growth. - 4 hours
January 27, 2017- Spring Semester
In January of my spring semester, I had the opportunity to do community service at My Friends and Me Daycare in Fannett, Tx. This was a great opportunity because it is in my neighborhood and felt right at home. Together with a couple of other dental hygiene students, we talked to three classes aged between 4 and 5 years old, about the importance of removing the "sugar bugs" from their mouths everyday. We taught them about nutrition and played a game with stickers on a tooth to help them understand about the good and bad food choices they make everyday. We also allowed them to learn how to brush and floss their own teeth by having them practice on our puppets. The kids were very interested and were so happy to learn about how to have a healthy oral cavity. I love kids and enjoy working with them. They are energetic, loveable and are so happy to listen and eager to learn.
The core competencies attained in this community service were Health Promotion/Disease Prevention & Community Involvement. - 2 hours
March 27, 2017
First Christian Church Mother's Day Out is in Port Arthur, Texas. They have a part-time daycare for children, and they contacted LIT in need of a student to teach the children about toothbrushing and having a healthy oral cavity. The children are so much fun, they were so excited to see us arrive with the puppets and ready to learn. We taught them about nutrition and helped them understand the importance of brushing everyday, morning and night. They played games and brushed the puppets teeth. We also made goody bags with a toothbrush and toothpaste. The core competecies attained in this community service were Health Promotion/Disease Prevention and Community Involvement.- 45 minutes
March 31, 2017
Bingman Head Start Elementary
Every year LIT Dental Hygiene takes part in the Fluoride Varnish Program at Bingman Head Start Elementary. A dentist from out of town comes in to check the children's oral cavity and all of us students help the children go to each station. We have several stations set up for them. We brush their teeth and teach them about brushing everyday, twice a day for 2 minutes, they have their teeth checked by the dentist, and at the end they have fluoride varnish applied. This is a fantastic program for the children, being that some of the children may not have access to dental care. I feel we should have many more programs like this in the area. With this community service I have excelled in the competencies of Health Promotion/Disease Prevention and Community Involvement. - 3 hours