The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks,
The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and
spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."
Grant provides free sealants for low-income children
Going to the dentist's can often be an unpleasant experience. But, Dominique Hayes, 6, crawled into the chair set up in the basement of the New Zion Missionary Baptist Church Thursday without a bit of hesitation.
Her sister Diamond, 8, was just finishing up in a nearby chair and sat smiling while waiting to receive her complimentary toothbrush and toothpaste.
The girls were two of more than 20 children who received free dental sealants provided by the SIUC Dental Hygiene Program last Tuesday through Thursday.
Dental hygienists and dental hygiene students volunteered their time to provide sealants, non-invasive plastic coverings that prevent dental decay and cavities, for children who qualified for Medicaid or free and reduced-priced lunches.
Faith Miller, who organized the program, said children are often not able to go to the Heartland Dental Clinic, a free clinic for residents receiving Medicaid or are considered low income, because of conflicting schedules. The project took place during the church's vacation bible school program, making it more convenient for many of the children who attended.
A similar clinic took place for two days in June, during which hygienists saw 14 children and performed 59 sealants.
"It has been a very successful project," Miller said. "The first night they were lined up ready to roll. We couldn't get set up fast enough. The kids are getting a lot of good care, but I regret we could not do cleanings."
While the sealants are paid for through a grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Miller said SIUC is not reimbursed for regular cleanings.
Interim Chair of the Department of Health Care Professions Charla Lautar said this was a problem, considering the considerable decay they were encountering. However, she said they were able to refer many of the children to the Heartland Clinic or the SIUC Clinic, which offers dental care at reduced costs.
They were, however, able to offer mouth guards through the grant. The guards are used by children who play sports or to help prevent teeth grinding during the night. The children lined up to have impressions made of their teeth and eagerly chose which color they wanted theirs to be.
Enjoli Johnson and Melissa Majzel, both juniors in dental hygiene, volunteered their time for the three hours each night the project ran. Miller said service learning is a big advantage of the project for students.
"This gets them involved in the stage where kids are shedding baby teeth and getting adult teeth, which they don't usually encounter as much in the clinic," Miller said. "It also gets them more practice so they are not so intimidated when they come back in the fall, since there is no clinic over the summer."
Johnson said she had volunteered at the clinic in June and had such a good time she returned for all three nights of the event this month. In addition to performing sealants, she helped show informational videos on oral health and teach basic dental care.
"It's important to reach out to the community," Johnson said. "Most of the time the underserved population doesn't get these opportunities."
