Back to School Jams Promote Healthy Smiles for Boston Youth
As summer activities wound down and school preparations began, students at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) were busy hosting Back to School Jam events to promote the importance of oral health. This year, GSDM and the Massachusetts Dental Society/Boston Collaborative Group joined forces to participate in two back-to-back Jams, providing dental screenings and distributing health information in an effort to get Boston area kids ready for the new school year.
This year, GDSM, alongside the Massachusetts Dental Society/Boston Collaborative Group, participated in two Back to School Jams. The first was held on Wednesday, September 27, 2014, at Brookline’s Boston Housing Authority (BHA). The second Jam took place the following day at the Mission Main BHA. Both days were well attended, and the groups successfully performed more than 10 dental screenings.
Back to School Jams serve as more than just positive oral health promotion—they are also a lot of fun for everyone involved. Each afternoon is packed with activities, music, food, and an overall sense of strengthened community between health care providers and Boston’s youth.
The Jams are just as beneficial for the dental students involved as the patients they’re helping. As faculty sponsor and Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri points out, each Jam is an excellent opportunity to work alongside representatives from the Massachusetts Dental Society/Boston Collaborative Group, recruit patients, and learn about the oral health issues currently affecting young children.
State Representative Jeffrey Sánchez spearheads the Back to School Jams in his district. Much of his career has been focused on bridging the gap between access and improved quality of health care to those in underprivileged areas of the City.
The Boston Collaborative Group is an initiative sponsored by the American Dental Association, the Massachusetts Dental Society, and the Metropolitan District Dental Society.
The GSDM student volunteers who helped make this event so successful were: Delaney Jorgensen DMD 18, Sasha Manchanda DMD 18, Dr. Mohammed Mourad, Amrita Patel DMD 15, Ayman Sulieman (pre-dental), Faraz Tartibi DMD 16, and Amanda Yip DMD 16.
Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter said, “On behalf of the entire Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine community, I extend thanks to Ms. Kathy Lituri, the volunteers, and Representative Sanchez for their passionate work to help the Boston community.”
Photos are available on Facebook and Flickr.