Dental Health Fair 2019

The morning of Friday, April 26th, Alliance members worked together with community members to put on a dental health fair for underprivileged school children. As part of the Utah Dental Convention, Alliance members and friends taught over 200 first grade students to "SMILE" at five different interactive stations. Following the stations, students enjoyed the presentation of the iconic dental health marionette show our Alliance members have been doing for years.

Students from James E. Moss Elementary joined us for last year's health fair, and were more than excited to be welcomed back. New to this year's festivities were first graders from Lincoln Elementary as well as dental assisting students from AmeriTech College, who helped demonstrate and participate at the five stations.

Elementary students were bused to the Salt Palace Center. Stacia Chavez, outgoing president of the Alliance, led the students through the Convention Center to our meeting room. "There were a lot of people who got huge smiles on their faces when we were leading the students through the Convention Center to the health fair," Chavez said.

The excitement didn't stop there, however. Upon return to the schools following the dental health fair, teachers of the students commented that the kids were interested with tons of questions about their teeth and things they had learned while at the fair. Melanie Roundy, Alliance member and co-organizer of the health fair, commented that the students learned about things that "we take for granted. They just had no idea. Many have been in refugee camps and what we teach them makes a big impact."

Students are sent home with a dental health kit that includes a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, stickers, pencils, and various other educational materials about dental health.

The Alliance sends a HUGE thank you to Melanie Roundy and Becky Richards, our dental health education board members, for all of the preparation, arrangements, hours, etc. that they put in to make this health fair a success yet again!

"S" -- Shine at Brushing

Students learn to brush their teeth through the use of oversized teeth models.

Baylee, Melissa, and Betty get the students excited to brush their teeth!

With Betty Cowley's help, students get to take a look at what really is chomping inside those mouths.

Ready, Set, Brush -- indeed!

All hands on deck as Melissa Haws teaches about brushing teeth

For some of these students, this is an introduction to the "how to" of brushing.

Baylee, Melissa, and Betty work together to teach how to brush.

Teamwork is dreamwork.

Enthralled students!

Hands-on experience!

Baylee Haws sure knows how to wield that toothbrush!

"M" -- My Mouth is Important

Julie Thomson reads to her audience.

Checking her notes, Julie makes sure they cover it all.

Accurate books on dental health are a great teaching resource.

Dixie Poole helps the students identify and become familiar with their own teeth.

"I" -- I Fight Decay

Shawn Schouten uses a germ puppet to educate her group.

Students look on as Paula explains how teeth decay and how dentists help people have healthy mouths.

Paula Davis leading her group in the fight against tooth decay!

Shawn answers questions while dental assisting students look on in the back of the group.

Students were ready to learn and anxious to ask questions.

Fight tooth decay!

"L" -- Learn to Floss

Janette and a student show the crowd how pudding can be wiped off the surface of teeth (fingers) but will not come out from between the "teeth" until flossing occurs.

Sharon greets students as they rotate in to her station.

Janette Sonnenberg works one-on-one with a student to demonstrate the need to floss.

Sometimes, even dinosaur teeth need flossing!

Heidi Jones teaches how to hold floss.

Sharon Wiest shows students how to properly floss -- on a dinosaur puppet!

Now that's a big piece of floss! After this demonstration, students had a blast using oversized floss and tooth t-shirts on peers to practice getting clean down in between the teeth.

"E" -- Eat Healthy Foods

As we know, eating healthy foods goes a long way to keeping good oral hygiene. At this station, Teresa Theuer and Cathy Robinson taught students about the sugar content of various foods, and played a magnetic foods game to help the students learn to identify what foods are best.

Students loved all the games they got to play along with their learning!

Cathy helps the students identify healthy food choices.

Our goal is to help students become proficient at choosing good oral hygiene for themselves. Here, Teresa looks on to ensure these students understand what foods to choose.

Each group of students rotated around so as to see every station.

Is it healthy or unhealthy?

Teresa Theuer and Cathy Robinson teach the students about Eating Healthy Foods

Marionette Show and Closing

Stacia Chavez greets the students as they gather to review what they learned about "SMILE" at all five stations.

Shawn, Cathy, Paula, and Julie help Dr. FossilRock tell his story and remind us to "Brush, brush, brush, brush, brush your teeth!"

Paula and Sharon work together to tell the marionette story.

Shawn and Cathy delight the crowd with the show's musical adventure of dental health.

Cathy, Shawn, Julie, Paula, and Sharon are very practiced at the marionette show, as they've been working together for years teaching students across Utah about dental health.