Providing oral health education to Las Vegas’ homeless youth

On Wednesday, the ADHA’s Community Service Day, the organization and hygienists, with sponsorship from the Wrigley Company Foundation and support from numerous corporate partners, demonstrated their commitment to giving back to the community by providing oral health education to homeless teenagers in Las Vegas. Dental manufacturers 3M ESPE, ACT, Colgate, Crest Oral-B, Hu-Friedy, Johnson & Johnson and Premier all donated to ensure the youths received home-care products to reinforce what they learned at the event.

“Dental hygienists are proud to give back to our communities as volunteer oral health professionals,” said ADHA President Denise Bowers, RDH, PhD. “Community Service Day affords us the tremendous opportunity to do just that. Together, we can make a difference.”

The dental hygienists were bussed to the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center, a residential facility for teenagers who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Using educational posters prepared by students at the College of Southern Nevada Dental Hygiene Program, the volunteers set up education stations outdoors. The teens were divided into groups that rotated from display to display, each featuring a different oral health topic geared toward young adults.

In addition to basic information about taking care of their teeth and oral tissue for a lifetime, participants learned about the oral health implications of eating disorders, sports drinks, oral piercings, recreational drug use, pregnancy, diabetes and more.

They also learned about careers in the oral health care field, which aligns with the Shannon West Homeless Youth Center’s efforts to prepare youths to succeed as adults.

After visiting all of the tables, the teens received goodie bags filled with products that will help them apply their new knowledge.

The impact of a healthy mouth and an esthetically pleasing smile play an important role in anyone’s self-confidence, and young adults’ in particular.

“Dental hygienists know and embrace the importance of a healthy smile,” said ADHA Executive Director Ann Battrell, MSDH. “The ADHA is so proud to support the community in Las Vegas through our volunteer dental hygiene leaders.”

ADHA President-Elect Kelli Swanson Jaecks, RDH, MA, who will be installed as 2014-2015 president of the ADHA at the meeting, agreed, noting that: “our profession was founded on oral health care prevention and providing services to the public. We believe that every citizen should have direct access to a dental hygienist. Volunteering is one way we as a profession can help meet the oral health care needs of the public.”

(Source: ADHA)