Seventy-five volunteers from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) provided free sealant treatments for underserved children during the 10th annual Sealant Saturday on Feb. 28. Students, faculty, staff and alumni collaborated to place 181 sealants for 68 children at the UMSOD Perryville clinic.
Dental sealants are thin, plastic coatings that are applied to the grooves on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. Sealants keep germs and food particles from becoming stuck in these grooves, which helps prevent cavities from forming.
“It is so important to promote access to care in an area of the state where there is a low ratio of oral health care providers,” says Leila Liberman, RDH, MdE, clinical instructor in the Department of Periodontics. “Not only do the student volunteers develop clinical skills, they experience the joy of community service.”
Dental and dental hygiene students collaborated to place sealants during the outreach event. The students also examined children’s teeth for decay and referred those without a dental home to the Perryville Clinic for treatment. In addition, two public health students from the University of Maryland School of Medicine were on hand to provide health and nutrition counseling for patients.
“This event is a real eye-opener for our students. They see how much need there is for this type of outreach in the community,” says Marion Manski, RDH, MS, director of the Dental Hygiene Program. “Hopefully, this will inspire them to continue giving back even after they graduate.”
For dental hygiene student Kristen Hammett, RDH ’16, volunteering at Sealant Saturday helped her develop important skills working as part of a team and communicating with children. She enjoyed the opportunity to reach out to an underserved population in the local community.
“By teaching these children about the importance of oral health care while they are young, we can get them started down a good path to prevent future tooth decay,” she says.
The annual event was sponsored by the Maryland Dental Hygienists’ Association and the Greater Baltimore Dental Hygienists’ Association.
Click here to see a photo gallery from Sealant Saturday.
