Oral Health Blog

PSP for Young Hearts

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:52:44 +0000

Young Hearts Learning Center in High Ridge, Missouri has once again opened its doors to the Preventive Services Program (PSP), which offers dental screenings and fluoride varnish to any child in the state of Missouri. The day care center accepts children as early as six weeks old, giving dental screeners (and in this case, dental hygiene students) an opportunity to examine newly erupted teeth and apply a thin coating of fluoride varnish to prevent dental decay.

Pictured here are dental hygiene students (front row) Melissa Lair, Brooke Heuer, (second row) Cara Schuler, Amanda Suttmueller, Ricki Leach, (back row) Melissa Hanneman, Megan Brandt, Stephanie Abraham, Kimberly Smeehuyzen, Cheryl Hunt from Missouri College.

Healthy, Happy Smiles

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:43:01 +0000

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.

UMKC Pre-Dental Students Participate in Department of Health Oral Health Program

admin — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:23:25 +0000

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.

New Haven Elementary Participates in Healthy Smiles Fluoride Varnish Program

admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 17:36:00 +0000

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.

MRH Early Childhood Center Participates in PSP

admin — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 17:42:44 +0000

For the third year in a row, children from the Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center eagerly took part in the school-based Preventive Services Program (PSP). Just as eager to participate in this annual event were the Dental Hygiene students from Missouri College. “Overall, it’s a great program. We get a pretty good response.” said Michelle Davis, the Maplewood Richmond Heights School Nurse. The Dental Hygiene students from Missouri College will return to the center in the spring to provide a second application of fluoride varnish.

Pictured below are Mary Steward and 5 year old Charlotte “Charlie” Darst.

Pictured below are the graduating students participating in this year’s PSP event at the Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center from left to right; Mary Steward, Autumn Slape, Erin Stelbrink, Krystle Mainini, Alysia Townsend and Brandi Jackson.

Henry Elementary School Participates in Preventive Services Program

admin — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:40:21 +0000

Henry Elementary School in Clinton partnered with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Preventive Services Program (PSP) for students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth. Over 500 children received an oral screening, two cavity prevention fluoride varnish applications (second application to be applied in fall 2012), oral health instructions and a free toothbrush and toothpaste. Three local dental hygienists conducted the oral screenings and several school nurses, nurse aids, and 21 trained occupational health students assisted with the fluoride varnish applications. The data collected during the oral screenings help identify students with unmet dental needs.

Below: Andra Ferguson, a local dental hygienist, conducts an oral screening on a Henry Elementary student during the elementary school oral health event on April 23, 2012.

Smooth Sailing at Canton R-V Elementary School

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:00:05 +0000

It was a very smooth day at Canton R-V Elementary School, as 240 students from the schools’ Early Childhood Development Program through the 6th grade received their second application of fluoride varnish for the 2011-2012 school year. According to Diane Jorgensen, RN, school nurse, “The six ‘seasoned’ volunteers were able to stay ahead of schedule throughout the day, giving us an opportunity to treat them to a leisurely lunch, as meager payment for a job well-done.” Pictured below is volunteer Carla Steinbeck, with student, Damen Laudell (1st photo) and again with student, Jacob Meyer (2nd photo).

Utilizing Students Helps Fulfill the PSP Motto; “Many Hands Working Together for the Oral Health of the Community

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:47:59 +0000

Utilizing students from professional programs to implement PSP in a community is a fantastic way to introduce them to community service. Each year under the supervision of faculty, students from the Missouri College’s Dental Hygiene Program in St. Louis get to take part in such an experience as they rotate between various schools in the area to provide dental screenings, fluoride varnish and oral health education. According to many of the students the experience is not only fun, but helps build their confidence as well.

Pictured here are Missouri College students, Kristopher Franz and Lesa Brewer and children from the Maplewood Richmond Heights Early Childhood Center.

St. Louis Organization Receives Award for Partnership

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:44:05 +0000

On Thursday November 3, Hannah G. McClellan accepted an award from Missouri College on behalf of the Institute for Family Medicine. The award was in recognition of the partnership that the Institute has with the Missouri College Dental Hygiene Program and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ Preventive Services Program. Through this collaboration, 358 young children in St. Louis and the surrounding area received dental screenings, fluoride varnish and a referral. In addition, 682 young children benefited from the oral hygiene education provided by the dental hygiene students this past fall. The Institute for Family Medicine has been a partner with PSP since 2008.

Pictured here from left to right are Trina Morgan, Missouri College Dental Hygiene Program Chair, Hannah G. McClellan, Program Manager at the Institute for Family Medicine and Karl Petersen, Missouri College President.

Canton Elementary School Participates in PSP

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:05:19 +0000

In November, students at Canton Elementary School in Lewis County took part in the Preventive Services Program for their second year in a row. With the help and support of one dentist, Dr. C. Clark Todd, DDS, 243 children from preschool through the 6^th grade were screened, and with the additional help of the school nurse and a handful of community volunteers, the children received their first application of fluoride varnish for the year.

According to school nurse, Diane Jorgensen, RN, “Dr. Todd is very community oriented. He is very charitable and compassionate.” She states that prior to the implementation of PSP, Dr. Todd has for more than 10 years set aside one Wednesday each year to provide dental screenings at this school, spending his entire day there. “We feed him lunch, but that’s the only reward he gets!” she comments. Both the school and the families of the children attending this school appreciate the commitment and time this local dentist spends at Canton Elementary.

Pictured above are school nurse Diane Jorgensen, RN and Allie Ruffcorn.
Below are Michelle Frazier, RN and Avery Uhlmeyer.