Bright smiles and happy faces are the rewards a dental hygiene student gets for a job well done at the Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center. Earlier in the school year, the preschool children at this center took part in a dental screening and fluoride varnish event. One happy camper, four-year-old Roniyah Stewart, joyfully displays her pearly whites during a return visit from the hygiene students after she received a second application of fluoride varnish.

Pictured below are dental hygiene students Kaley Hubbs, Cara Schuler, Stephanie Abraham, Cheryl Hunt, Evgenyia Alworth, Kveta Holmes and Lynette Wills from Missouri College.

The Gillis Home for Boys School in Kansas City, MO partnered with the Department of Health and Senior Services Preventive Services Program (PSP) for students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eleventh on March 9, 2013. Thirty students received an oral screening, oral health instructions and a free toothbrush & toothpaste. Ten UMKC Pre-Dental Students assisted with serving as recorders for the two hygienists conducting the oral screenings and also provided the oral health education component for the students. The data collected during the oral screenings help identify students with unmet dental needs.

Loads of Healthy Smiles were recently covered with fluoride varnish, during the New Haven Elementary School Fluoride Varnish Program. This community supported program was very successful, as approximately 100 students from Kindergarten through the 3rd grade gladly bared their teeth to the volunteers participating in the program. Two area dentists and a hygienist volunteered their time to perform screenings for caries, as well as for other dental issues. After the screening, parent volunteers applied the varnish to the healthy smiles.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 the above volunteers helped make smiles at New Haven Elementary School brighter! Pictured left to right in the front row: Amber Kocinski, Dr. Jackie Miller, Dr. Jenifer Moser. Second row: Tara Anderson, Kay Politte, Stephanie Nicks, Crystal Kopmann. Back row: Evelyn Lucas, Susan Legg Anita Frater and Virginia Jones.

Hygienist Amber Kocinski screens first grade student, Dale Groppe.

Dr. Jackie Miller screens first grade student, Brandon Canania.

Dr. Jenifer Moser screens first grade student, William Petty.

Sophia Long, a kindergartener, gets a brush of fluoride by volunteer Crystal Kopmann.

Volunteer Tara Anderson reloads her brush while Kindergarten student, Kaitlyn Taylor, patiently awaits her first application of varnish.

Kindergartener Trevor Grater puts on a big smile for his mother, Anita Grater, who volunteered to help with Healthy Smiles.

Volunteer Virginia Jones kept busy by keeping active students, like Logan and Lucas Struckhoff, busy while they awaited their turn for screenings and varnish application.

Volunteer Susan Legg made sure that the varnish was applied extremely well on all teeth for 3rd grade student, Seth Malawey.