What does a
community engaged in overall health look like? This is the question Douglass
Mid-High School in Oklahoma City asked when it brought together like-minded health
groups for a meeting last spring. Among those groups were the Oklahoma Dental
Foundation, and the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry’s Community
Dentistry department. The school’s principal, Dr. Brian Staples, with the
assistance of Sandridge Energy, wanted to develop an in-school health center to
create better habits for students. Staples attributes a majority of student
absences to preventable health conditions, including tooth aches and abscessed caused
by severe cavities. Missed class periods for this school, a primarily
low-income, African American population means missed opportunities for a
better, brighter future.
July 27,
2012 began the first step of implementing this partnership and impacting the
oral health of Douglass. Several volunteers and students from the OUCOD
provided dental screenings during a back to school lock-in. The screening would
let parents know any problems areas the child might have, and well as, tips for
brushing and flossing. About 30 screenings were done that night with the
permission of parents in attendance.
The next step
came on October 12, 2012 – a day of screenings for more than 150 students. Much
preparation went into finding volunteer dental students, implementing a
strategy as to see as many students as quickly as possible while engaging them
in taking ownership of their oral health. While we had high hopes in
preparation, middle and high school aged kids have a way of taking your plan
and throwing it by the wayside. By 9:30 a.m. that morning, the first group of
kids had come through. As anticipated, many were not interested in volunteering
to be screened. The OUCOD group quickly regrouped and found a different plan of
attack. Every student would receive a screening by a fourth year student, then
brushing and flossing instructions would be given by first and second year
dental students. When the second round of Douglass students came through,
tensions eased and the screenings ran smoother. Once students were screened,
their forms were generated into two piles: referrals to the mobile dental unit
for further treatment, and those who didn’t need treatment. Of the 151
screenings completed that day, 83 students were referred for further dental
treatment and given paperwork for their parents to authorize treatment on the
Oklahoma Dental Foundation’s mobile dental unit October 29 through 31.
Sydney
Sevier, senior program assistant in the OUCOD’s Community Dentistry department
described the experience as eye opening and a good perspective for the dental
students to have. “I think this really sparked an extra passion. They spread
the word for their friends to get involved because of what a good experience
they had,” Sevier said. “I think this made them realize how bad the problem is
in the community.” The Community Dentistry’s overall goal is to increase the
number of graduating dental students who go into community dentistry across the
state.
Second year
dental student Sneha Patel was shocked to hear from a middle school student
receiving a screening who did not know what a cavity was. “He seemed very
worried about his mouth, but didn't know how to take care of it,” Patel said.
She explained to the student that the cavity was treatable and how to prevent
them in the future.
Our next
challenge will come October 29 when the ODF mobile dental unit and OU students
return to Douglass for dental treatment. As always, parents need to authorize
the proper paperwork for minors to receive dental care. We hope parents who
have seen their child’s screening form take a few minutes to save their
children pain and suffering over a toothache, and their pocketbooks from a trip
to the emergency room.
