Give Kids a Smile Wayne Com College
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on March 13, 2016 1:45 AM
Dental hygiene students at Wayne Community College gave free dental care to 43 third- and fourth-grade students Friday as part of the American Dental Associations "Give a Kid a Smile" program.
Nearly 40 dental hygiene students working in pairs applied sealant to the children's permanent teeth as a way to prevent cavities during the nearly two-hour clinic.
Wayne Community College holds the event annually in cooperation with the North Carolina Division of Public Health.
Debi Grzeslo, from the oral health section, coordinated the various groups involved in the clinic, and was the one who invited Spring Creek Elementary to take part this year.
Several local dental professionals also volunteered.
Dr. Kristen Langworthy helped sponsor the clinic through the Wayne County Dental Society.
She said that the clinic provided a win-win situation for both the dental hygiene students and the children.
"It's a good service here at the community college," Ms. Langworthy said. "It gives the students a chance to practice on someone."
This event is not the only time Wayne Community College students practice their skills.
The clinic is fully operational throughout the week, and dental students spend around 12 hours a week in the building providing care.
They are required to treat patients in a wide variety of age and medical groups, so that they will be comfortable working with any kind of patient they may encounter.
Dental hygiene student Sydney Bowers said that the program goes a long way in making the students better at their craft.
"It's a very rigorous program in which we are constantly tested," Ms. Bowers said.
The event certainly lived up to its name. Many children came in nervous and left beaming.
One such child, Achillies Clark, said that his visit to the clinic was his second time visiting the dentist.
"It felt weird at first, but I liked it," he said with an excited grin.
Other children were more frightened at first, but the dental students were able to put them at ease by talking to them and explaining each step of the process.