The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith is celebrating National Children’s Dental Health Month throughout February with free dental care for children under 18.
Services provided by senior dental hygiene students include exams, x-rays, oral health education, cleanings, fluoride treatments and sealants.
“These students will be able to interact with children and their caregivers to develop good oral hygiene habits, which will help them prepare for work, developing not only their dental hygiene skills, but also providing compassionate care. to children and their families,” said Dr. Virginia Hardgrave, associate professor and executive director of dental hygiene at UAFS.
“Giving back to our community and treating children for free during the month of February is both honoring and exciting for dental hygiene students at UAFS,” said Emily Nguyen, a dental hygiene major. “Our goal is to promote good oral health in children in a fun and interactive setting while educating their caregivers on the importance of developing good oral hygiene habits at an early age. a great learning opportunity for us as students as we get the chance to develop our skills with hands-on experience treating patients of different ages in our clinic.
In addition, junior dental hygiene students prepared gift bags for young patients containing dental supplies and small gifts. Equipment and supplies for the project were funded in part by a grant from the Office of the Dean of UAFS College of Health, Education, and Humanities.
“I’m excited to work with children during Children’s Dental Health Month,” said Jacob Martin, a junior in the dental hygiene program. “The opportunity to work with children in a clinical setting gives us a better understanding of how to interact with them as patients. We need to learn to work with all ages, and this will enable us to do just that.
Appointments are available on Mondays and Wednesdays in the morning and afternoon time slots. To make an appointment or for more information, call 479-788-7220.
