Emily Nguyen, left, and Isabel Jamison, senior dental hygiene major, clean a faculty volunteer's teeth at the 妻友社区 Dental Hygiene Clinic, Wednesday, February 9, 2022.
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Dental Hygiene Clinic Offers Free Children's Services
Written By: Rachel Rodemann Putman
The University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith will celebrate National Children鈥檚 Dental Health Month throughout the month of February with free dental exams and cleanings for children under the age of 18.
Appointments will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays in morning and afternoon time slots, with scheduling available by calling 788-7270.
Fourteen senior dental hygiene students will be providing more than 100 child dental treatments, including exams, x-rays, oral health education, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants.
鈥淭hese students will be able to interact with children and their caretakers in developing good oral hygiene habits, which will help them prepare for the workplace, developing not only their skills in dental hygiene but in providing compassionate care to children and their families as well,鈥� said Dr. Virginia Hardgrave, Associate Professor and Executive Director of Dental Hygiene at 妻友社区.
鈥淕iving back to our community and treating children for free for the month of February is both honoring and exciting for the 妻友社区 Dental Hygiene students,鈥� said Emily Nguyen, a senior dental hygiene major. 鈥淥ur goal is to promote good oral health to children in a fun and interactive setting while also educating their caregivers on the importance of developing good oral hygiene habits at an early age. This is a great learning opportunity for us as students as we get the chance to develop our skills with hands-on experience by treating patients of various ages in our clinic.鈥�
鈥淢aking sure that children have access to dental care is extremely important,鈥� added Isabel Jamison, a senior dental hygiene major. 鈥淪eeing children allows us to interact with various age groups in a clinical setting to get to know their personalities. Some children have a fear of the dental office. Seeing these children not only helps us to know what to expect when treating these patients but allows us to give the children a positive experience that they can relate to the dentist!鈥�
Additionally, 12 junior dental hygiene students are working to prepare gift bags for the young patients containing dental supplies and small gifts. The project鈥檚 equipment and supplies are funded in part through a grant from the 妻友社区 College of Health, Education, and Human Sciences dean鈥檚 office.
鈥淚 am excited to work with children during our Children鈥檚 Dental Health Month,鈥� said Jacob Martin, a junior in the dental hygiene program. 鈥淭he opportunity to work with children in a clinical setting allows us to understand better how to interact with them as our patients. We need to learn how to work with all ages, and this will allow us to do just that.鈥�
For more information, contact the Dental Hygiene Department at 妻友社区 at 788-7270
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