USA - Clinic Fills Dental Needs of Richmond-Area Kids
Clinic Fills Dental Needs of Richmond-Area Kids:
About 1,000 Receive Free Care at Mass Event Staffed By Volunteers
Richmond Times-Dispatch Feb 12, 02:43 PM EST
Feb. 12--
Isaiah Hanks didn't mind the dental cleaning yesterday. He liked the clean feeling, and "it tickles," said Isaiah, 9, a student at Clark Springs Elementary School.
The fluoride treatment was another matter. He doesn't like the taste, he said afterward, but he endured it.
So did about 1,000 other Richmond and Henrico County schoolchildren who received dental screenings and cleanings at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond yesterday.
For the sixth year, a number of organizations sponsored a mass dental clinic designed to improve access to dental care and identify any children with untreated dental problems that may pose bigger health risks.
Over the course of a few hours yesterday, 150 volunteers screened, cleaned and treated the teeth of the children. School buses dropped off the children, who were scheduled to arrive every 30 minutes.
Most, like Isaiah, didn't have any problems, and were sent home with new toothbrushes and reminders to brush after meals.
"For the most part, the teeth are better than I anticipated," said dentist Don Murry, who closed his Powhatan office yesterday so his staff could volunteer at the clinic.
"That makes me happy. Something is working. Fluoride in the water or the dental care or the parents or the teachers -- we are all in this together."
But like last year, there were a few whose problems were more severe. One mother arrived seeking care for her child as the clinic was getting set up, said dentist Roger Wood, president of the Richmond Dental Society. The woman's child has special needs and she has had trouble finding dental care, Wood said.
"Last year, for instance, we had 15 children . . . who required immediate care," said Wood, a pediatric dentist in practice in Chesterfield.
"They had rampant decay. That means decay on over half of their teeth," he said. "They had draining abscesses, swollen cheeks. Sometimes the eye was shut because of severe infection. Because of the age of the child and the amount of care needed, we took 15 to the operating room."
Wood said CJW Medical Center (Johnston-Willis) donated operating-room time last year, and an anesthesiologist volunteered services as well.
Partners in the event this year included the Boys & Girls Club, Delta Dental, the Virginia Dental Association, the VCU School of Dentistry and the Richmond Dental Society.
As they arrived, the children were screened by dentists stationed along a back wall of the gymnasium. Next, they went to dental hygienists and dental assistants set up at tables around the room.
Debra Fleshman, school nurse at Summerhill Elementary in Richmond, said parents like the event because some have transportation problems or work conflicts when trying to get their children to dental appointments.
Elayna Bedner brought her 18-month-old and 3-year-old sons for the screening after seeing a blurb on television the day before.
"Without having dental [insurance] right now, it's really nice to just get the checkup," Bedner said. "Tooth decay and everything like that can lead to poor health."
Contact staff writer Tammie Smith at or (804) 649-6572.
Richmond and most of Virginia is fluoridated:NYSCOF
About 1,000 Receive Free Care at Mass Event Staffed By Volunteers
Richmond Times-Dispatch Feb 12, 02:43 PM EST
Feb. 12--
Isaiah Hanks didn't mind the dental cleaning yesterday. He liked the clean feeling, and "it tickles," said Isaiah, 9, a student at Clark Springs Elementary School.
The fluoride treatment was another matter. He doesn't like the taste, he said afterward, but he endured it.
So did about 1,000 other Richmond and Henrico County schoolchildren who received dental screenings and cleanings at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond yesterday.
For the sixth year, a number of organizations sponsored a mass dental clinic designed to improve access to dental care and identify any children with untreated dental problems that may pose bigger health risks.
Over the course of a few hours yesterday, 150 volunteers screened, cleaned and treated the teeth of the children. School buses dropped off the children, who were scheduled to arrive every 30 minutes.
Most, like Isaiah, didn't have any problems, and were sent home with new toothbrushes and reminders to brush after meals.
"For the most part, the teeth are better than I anticipated," said dentist Don Murry, who closed his Powhatan office yesterday so his staff could volunteer at the clinic.
"That makes me happy. Something is working. Fluoride in the water or the dental care or the parents or the teachers -- we are all in this together."
But like last year, there were a few whose problems were more severe. One mother arrived seeking care for her child as the clinic was getting set up, said dentist Roger Wood, president of the Richmond Dental Society. The woman's child has special needs and she has had trouble finding dental care, Wood said.
"Last year, for instance, we had 15 children . . . who required immediate care," said Wood, a pediatric dentist in practice in Chesterfield.
"They had rampant decay. That means decay on over half of their teeth," he said. "They had draining abscesses, swollen cheeks. Sometimes the eye was shut because of severe infection. Because of the age of the child and the amount of care needed, we took 15 to the operating room."
Wood said CJW Medical Center (Johnston-Willis) donated operating-room time last year, and an anesthesiologist volunteered services as well.
Partners in the event this year included the Boys & Girls Club, Delta Dental, the Virginia Dental Association, the VCU School of Dentistry and the Richmond Dental Society.
As they arrived, the children were screened by dentists stationed along a back wall of the gymnasium. Next, they went to dental hygienists and dental assistants set up at tables around the room.
Debra Fleshman, school nurse at Summerhill Elementary in Richmond, said parents like the event because some have transportation problems or work conflicts when trying to get their children to dental appointments.
Elayna Bedner brought her 18-month-old and 3-year-old sons for the screening after seeing a blurb on television the day before.
"Without having dental [insurance] right now, it's really nice to just get the checkup," Bedner said. "Tooth decay and everything like that can lead to poor health."
Contact staff writer Tammie Smith at or (804) 649-6572.
Richmond and most of Virginia is fluoridated:NYSCOF
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