Oral Health Checkup is Key before Children Start School

As they prepare to send a child to school for the first time, many parents think about the obvious needs, such as backpacks, pencils, and notebooks. At Boston’s annual Countdown to Kindergarten at Boston Children’s Museum August 27, Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine’s (BUGSDM) Division of Community Health Programs made sure parents were also thinking about their child’s oral health.

Countdown to Kindergarten begins a yearlong series of activities to prepare children to enter kindergarten the following year. BUGSDM students and staff provided free oral health education and screenings to 118 Boston children at the event.

"A healthy mouth, one free of decay, will enhance a child’s ability to pay attention in the classroom," said BUGSDM Oral Health Promotion Coordinator Kathy Lituri, who organizes the School’s Countdown volunteers each year. "A dental screening provides an opportunity to identify potential risk factors for decay and to begin a dialogue with parents about the importance of a dental home at an early age."

BUGSDM volunteers included: Mark Berger, DMD 10; Reesha Patel, DMD 10; Min Lynn, DMD 10; Swati Chapla, DMD 09; Brandon Johnson, DMD 10; Jennifer Hill, DMD 10; Andia Nadimi, DMD 10; Susan Banga, DMD 12; Amit Patel, DMD 12; Justin Karrel DMD 10; Nic Snider DMD 12; Tanmya Stuti Ravi, AS 10; Aparna Khanna, AS 10; Rohini Singh, AS 09; Hue Ly, DMD 12; Ramya Jagannathan, AS 10; Dee Gulis, DMD 12; Vanessa Beer, AS I0; Timothy Smith, DMD 12; Sara Lalani, DMD 12; Ana Mattos, DMD 12; and Winsor School volunteer Megi Cavo.

Photos from Countdown to Kindergarten are available on BUGSDM’s flickr account. You must have full web access to view these photos.