Dental students screen nearly 300 children during Kids Care Fair
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| Sam Demirdji, Christina Do, and John Kim screen a patient during Kids care Fair. |
Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital held its annual Kids Care
Fair Sunday, April 29 at the Drayson Center. The Fair is an opportunity
for parents and children to interact with various health-care entities,
to ask questions, be given information, to obtain health exams and even
register to receive prizes. This event usually brings out large numbers
of people from the local community, and this year was no exception. A
close estimate of the number of visitors was 2,200.
Among the 52 presenters in the Drayson Center, the LLUSD
table for dental screenings was among the most popular. Throughout the
course of the day there was a constant line of guests waiting their turn
to be seen by one of the student volunteers.
It is estimated that approximately 275 to 300 children,
ages 1 to 15 years were seen between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
There were a total of 11 D2, D3, and D4 students who volunteered
to work at the Kids Care Fair, and they divided themselves into morning
and afternoon shifts.
Besides checking the oral cavities of so many children,
they were able to answer questions asked by parents/ guardians. They also
referred those with needs for further evaluations or treatment to their
family dentists or, if there was none, they were given the telephone number
of the School of Dentistry to make an appointment. Toothpaste samples
were also given away.
Many children between the ages of 4 to 6 had never been
examined by a dentist. There were many expressions of thanks to the dental
students for providing this basic service to children.
Student volunteers included Michael Hummitzch, Sunil Ilapogu, Shannon
Oh, Eddie Lopez, Lisa Bozzetti, Joanna Tan, Samuel Demirdji, Melissa Chun,
Sunny Hutchinson, Christina Do and John Kim.
Sunil Ilapogu is to be commended for recruiting the volunteers,
working the afternoon shift, and also for arriving at 8:00 in the morning
to make sure his crew was in place (they were).
Participating in such community activities is a great experience
for dental students, as it exposes them to some of the hidden needs of
a selected area.
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| During Kids Care
Fair, held in the Drayson Center, dental students screened nearly
300 children ages 1 to 15. Pictured, back row from left, are: Sam
Demirdji, John Kim, Sunny Hutchinson, and Joanna Tan. Pictured, seated,
are Dr. Ron Forde and Christina Do.
|
It is hoped that events such as this will plant a seed in
the students’ hearts which will grow and bear fruit as they establish
their own practices, leading to affiliations with other health providers
and organizations, to bring dental care to families without immediate
access to health-care facilities.
Author Ron Forde, SD’83, assistant professor, is director
of service learning.
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