Give Kids a Smile provides 66 students with dental care
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on February 12, 2017 1:45 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Dental hygiene student Ashley Williford participates in the Give Kids a Smile event at Wayne Community College Friday.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Sherry Allgeier and Brooke Givens work on Eastern Wayne Elementary School student Tamyla Rowe, 8, Friday during the annual Give Kids a Smile event in the dental clinic at Wayne Community College. The event is organized by the Wayne County Dental Society, Wayne Community College and Wayne County Public Schools. Allgeier is a dental assistant student and Givens is a dental hygienist student.
Wayne Community College dental students welcomed 66 students from Eastern Wayne Elementary School to their clinic Friday, providing free dental care as part of the annual Give Kids a Smile program.
The event, which is a joint effort by WCC, Wayne County Public Schools, the Wayne County Dental Society and other area dentists, involves WCC dental students applying sealant to the children's teeth to guard against cavities.
It offers a way for both children and WCC students to get access to things they need, said dental society president Kristen Langworthy.
"It's an opportunity for the kids to get access to a needed service, and for the students to practice something that they will need going forward," she said.
Langworthy said that the dental society was largely a fundraising entity for the event. The society provides equipment to make Give Kids a Smile possible.
Twenty-eight dental hygiene students and 16 dental assisting students took part. While this event was a special occurrence for the students, the clinic itself is open throughout the week. Students spend time each week providing care in the clinic as part of their graduation requirements.
Ashlee Gay, a dental hygiene student, said the work had actually begun beforehand.
"We went a few weeks back to screen the kids and find out which ones might need sealant," she said.
Once the kids were at the clinic, they were assigned to teams of two students for their sealant. Sealant application is a relatively routine procedure, Langworthy said, and one which the dental students will need to know in order to graduate.
The Give a Kid a Smile program has been coming to WCC for years, and includes students from a different school each year.
This year was Eastern Wayne. Last year, students from Spring Creek Elementary participated.
The children are given a bag of dental hygiene supplies and participate in educational activities while waiting for their turn in the clinic.
Some kids had been to the clinic before and took to the program easily.
Others took a bit more convincing before they were able to calm down.
Destiny Lanier, 10, took the whole thing in stride.
"It was funny, I wasn't scared at all," she said, pointing to the gift bag she held. "I got some sunglasses, and I like the color."