GSDM Continues Partnership with Allston Brighton APAC to Improve Oral Health for Local Preschoolers

On July 9, 2014, Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri was joined by volunteers Margi Chan DMD 16 and Ellen Yang (pre-dental) to spend the day giving interactive dental health lessons to over 70 preschoolers in the Allston Brighton area.

The volunteers visited four classrooms and two sites. At both Fidelis Way Child Care and Rivendell Child Care Centers, kids learned how to take care of their teeth and the importance of oral health. The children learned the brushing song and practiced brushing teeth with puppets. At the end of the day they took home goodie bags with information on what they learned.

“It’s a 20–30 minute hands on, age appropriate lesson plan,” Lituri explained. She went on to describe the objectives of the lessons: “Take care of and protect your teeth; eat healthy foods; keep your teeth clean using toothpaste with fluoride; use tooth protectors; and visit the dentist when you should.”

The child care centers are part of the Allston Brighton Area Planning Action Council (APAC) program, which has an ongoing partnership with GSDM’s Global & Population Health (GPH). These two schools are visited every year as an effort to help educate on dental health. GPH preschool-based programs include oral health education to younger children and parents, guardians, and staff. The program educates over 2,000 children in the Boston area.

“The lessons went well,” Lituri reflected. “The children were engaged and enthusiastic.”