Community and Preventive Dentistry Program
The following represents a few of the highlights from the annual Community and Preventive Dentistry calendar:
Veteran's Dental Care Day - November (held on or around Veteran's Day)
SIU SDM Provides Record $50K in Free Care at 3rd Annual Veteran’s Care Day
Nearly 90 veterans received free dental care during the annual Veteran’s Care Day event hosted by the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM). On November 12, 2020, the SIU SDM provided more than $50,000 worth of free dental treatment to veterans in need.
“Veteran’s Care Day was a huge success,” said SIU SDM Director of Community Dentistry Katie Kosten, DMD. “We were able to serve and show our gratitude to 20 more veterans than last year, providing care for a total of 88 individuals. We know that a lot of veterans don’t have access to extensive dental care, and some don’t have access to any dental care. Many of those we served were able to receive dental treatment that they had delayed for years, because they had difficulty finding a provider prior to this event.”
Services provided included, but were not limited to cleanings, x-rays, fillings and extractions. Of the 88 patients served, Kosten noted that 40 decided to establish care at the SIU SDM. Veteran Donald McMaster, of Wood River, was all smiles outside following his receipt of free dental care at the SIU SDM’s Veteran’s Care Day.
“We are glad to be able to continue serving these patients,” Kosten said. “They will now have access to a dentist for everything from routine cleanings to emergency pain, as well as more complex treatments like dentures and implants.”
With extensive safety protocols in place, Veteran’s Care Day ran smoothly for all involved.
“It was a great team effort,” Kosten emphasized. “The veterans and their loved ones were grateful for the opportunity, and our SIU SDM family enjoyed serving them in this way.”
This marked the SIU SDM's third annual Veteran’s Care Day, which combined have provided more than $110,000 worth of free dental care.
Give Kids A Smile Day - October (held on Columbus Day)
SIU SDM Provides Nearly $53,000 in Free Dental Care at Give Kids a Smile Day
The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine’s (SDM) 15th annual Give Kids a Smile Day held on October 12, 2020 was a huge success, with more than 110 children between the ages of 3-13 receiving a combined $52,990 worth of free preventative, restorative and surgical dental treatment.
“This was one of our most successful events in recent years. We served 30 more children than last year,” said SIU SDM Director of Community Dentistry Katie Kosten, DMD. “Aside from addressing patients’ immediate dental needs, the other big goal of Give Kids a Smile Day is to make sure each patient has an established dental home.”
“We were able to connect with a lot of patients who otherwise did not have a dentist of record, and start the process of them becoming patients at the SIU SDM,” she added. “This is the best way for us to make sure there is continuity of care, so these children don’t fall through the cracks.”
Care included examinations, x-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, sealants, stainless steel crowns and extractions. All services were provided by SIU SDM faculty, students and staff. Due to extra precautions surrounding COVID-19, the event did not include its staple Smile Stations, but Kosten notes all went smoothly.
“We are accustomed to protecting our patients, providers and staff every day in our clinic, so much was business as usual,” Kosten explained. “Parents and patients were grateful, and we hope that they had a positive experience. We missed being able to host the Smile Stations in the gymnasium, but we hope to bring that back in future years.”
Give Kids a Smile Day is a national event sponsored by the American Dental Association to provide free dental treatment for underserved children. The event is organized to promote community awareness of the need for dental services among the underserved.
National Children’s Dental Health Month - February
SIU School of Dental Medicine Celebrates National Children’s Dental Health Month
Throughout February 2020, more than 260 students from Roxana South Primary School engaged in interactive oral health education sessions and received free non-invasive screenings from dental students at the Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SDM). The SIU SDM annually welcomes kindergarten and second grade students from local classrooms in celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month.
“We want to make a positive impression on children and establish a dental home for them early to promote prevention over intervention,” said SIU SDM’s Katie Kosten, DMD, assistant professor and director of community dentistry. “We use National Children’s Dental Health Month as an opportunity to educate kids on basic oral principles and identify any issues with their teeth that parents need to be aware of.”
Third-year SDM students led interactive education activities that included practicing brushing and flossing on friendly animal characters, creating an alginate hand mold, identifying good and bad foods for teeth, and spinning a colorful question and answer wheel.
Fourth-year dental students practiced their clinical skills, built rapport with patients and served the community in a meaningful way by offering free dental screenings. The aspiring dentists conducted screenings for those students with signed consent forms, under the supervision of a licensed dental faculty. Screenings offer an important, non-invasive check of the teeth for the benefit of the students and their guardians.
“What I love most about dentistry is the teaching aspect,” said Lexi Nash, a third-year student from Lebanon. “It’s important to work with children and give them a positive dental experience. It’s one of the most rewarding feelings when you take a child, who was timid and shy, and offer interaction and fun that makes them excited to be your friend and show you their teeth.”
Even for students who do not plan to pursue pediatric dentistry, the opportunity to develop their clinical and interpersonal skills with children is beneficial for their career.
“Working with children has expanded my experience as a clinician,” said Michelle Hickey, a fourth-year dental student from Lyle. “For kids, you have to explain things in an understandable and catchy way, since they want to know exactly what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. It’s important to develop those communication skills, because they can apply in any dental practice.”
Madison County Oral Health Education Program
Our students are actively engaged in outreach activities including providing oral health promotion at elementary, middle and high schools in Madison County. As part of the Clinical Community Dentistry course, Year III and IV students work in teams, which generally consist of 2 students. Each team is assigned to classes at a Madison County elementary school, middle school and high school. Student teams conduct a needs assessment at each school, after meeting with school administrators and the school nurse. They then make age-appropriate oral health presentations to each class in elementary and middle schools twice per semester and to high school classes once per semester.
As the dental students graduate from year III to year IV, they move with the public school students; i.e., if they were assigned to grade 3 in their Year III, they move to grade 4 in their year IV. At the end of year IV, students write a service-learning paper describing their experiences at public schools and the impact they have made on the students.
Oral screenings and oral health education in the community
Another component of the Clinical Community Dentistry program involves student participation in oral screenings and oral health education in our community. Year III and Year IV students actively participate in local health fairs and provide oral cancer screenings at various venues, including sites in East St. Louis and Senior Services Plus locations. Students make oral health presentations to mothers in a local Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, parents of kids in the Riverbend Head Start Program, and provide screenings and education to the children at the Madison County Youth Detention Home.
Special Needs Patient Care
Year III students get didactic instruction and clinical experience in special needs patient management and/or care. Each student’s clinical experience consists of rotations through our Special needs Clinic and another off-site experience. We provide screenings at the William Bedell Centers for children and adults every year. We also provide screenings for the athletes at the Area 12 Special Olympics games in Edwardsville every year. In addition, our students work at a residential facility for people with developmental disabilities- Beverly Farms, under Dr. Scott Wolter's supervision.
Geriatric Dentistry
Year IV students receive didactic instruction and clinical experience in managing elderly patients living independently in the community as well as those in assisted living institutions or nursing homes. Our students provide annual screenings for the residents of our local nursing home- Eunice Smith. Each student also provides in-service training to our local nursing home staff and a presentation on a relevant topic to elderly people in our community.
