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 $70K in Free Care at 4th Annual Veteran’s Care Day
More than 100 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 Thursday, Nov. 11, the SIU SDM provided more than $70,000 worth of free dental treatment to veterans in need. Services included, but were not limited to cleanings, x-rays, fillings and extractions.
“We surpassed our previous Veteran’s Care Day success by providing over $20,000 more in dentistry this year than last and seeing almost 20 more patients,” said SIU SDM Director of Community Dentistry Katie Kosten, DMD. “Many of the patients seen also established SIU SDM as their dental home. This will allow them to get their remaining needs met and have somewhere to go for routine care.”
Among those providing patient care was U.S. Navy veteran Tabitha Hanson, a fourth-year SIU SDM student. Hanson noted that serving fellow veterans was an extremely satisfying experience, particularly caring for a World War II veteran.
“To treat a WWII vet and help eliminate his pain was incredibly rewarding,” Hanson said. “Having the pleasure of serving a WWII veteran who gave his service during one of the most crucial wars in American history is an experience I will remember for a lifetime.”
“In my mind, we owe the world to veterans for their sacrifices for this country,” she continued. “Thanks to all the veterans for their service! I am glad we could spend the day giving back to these wonderful people.”
This marked the SIU SDM's fourth annual Veteran’s Care Day, which combined have provided more than $180,000 worth of free dental care.
“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.”
Photo: SIU School of Dental Medicine fourth-year student Tabitha Hanson and clinical professor David Pierson provided free dental treatment for patient William Thompson during the annual Veteran’s Care Day event. All are U.S. veterans.
Give Kids A Smile Day - October (held on Columbus Day)
$61,125 in Free Dental Care Provided During SIU SDM Give Kids a Smile Day
More than $61,000 worth of free preventative, restorative and surgical dental treatment was provided during Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine’s (SIU SDM) 16th annual Give Kids a Smile Day. On Monday, Oct. 11, a record 126 children between the ages of 3-13 received critical dental care through the community outreach initiative.
“This was our most successful program by far in terms of patients seen and dentistry provided since I’ve been involved with GKAS,” said SIU SDM Director of Community Dentistry Katie Kosten, DMD. “Last year COVID forced us to take lemons and make lemonade. We had to reassess how we did everything, and in doing so, we were able to implement some changes that allowed us to help more children. And that’s always the bottom line: helping as many children as possible with the highest quality care possible.”
“Give Kids a Smile Day is one of my favorite initiatives,” added SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “It captures our community spirit and a focus on students in a wonderfully unique way. Our students and faculty use their excellent skills, and community members receive free services that help these children experience life in significantly better ways. We all appreciate the efforts of the SIU School of Dental Medicine.”
Care included examinations, x-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, sealants, stainless steel crowns and extractions. In addition, all patients without an established dentist were given the opportunity to become patients at SIU SDM. All services were provided by SIU SDM faculty, students, staff, and volunteer dental professionals.
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 (throughout the month of February)
SIU SDM Virtually Promotes Dental Health to 600 Children during National Children's Dental Health Month in 2021
While COVID-19 has thwarted numerous in-person engagement opportunities, individuals continue to serve through reimagined outreach efforts. The Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) demonstrated its ability to pivot and provide during National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) in February 2021.
Throughout the month, 38 third- and fourth-year SDM students engaged with more than 600 children, teachers and parents through virtual presentations at seven area schools. Oral health topics included proper dental hygiene, tooth decay prevention, healthy diet and nutrition, oral/systemic connections, and more.
“We are grateful for the teachers who made it a priority for their students to experience oral health education during National Children’s Dental Health Month,” said SIU SDM Director of Community Dentistry Katie Kosten, DMD. “Amid the pandemic, we know the adjustments that teachers have had to make have not been easy. We have a huge appreciation for their efforts and for the SIU SDM’s community partners. One of the most important relationships we have is with our area teachers.”
In years past, children have traveled to the SDM’s Alton campus to enjoy educational activities and receive a dental screening. While the screenings were not able to be performed given COVID-19 safety restrictions, SDM students leveraged technology to significantly increase the number of students they were able to reach.
“We know that oral health education is important, and in order to get the message out, we have to adapt and meet people where they are,” Kosten noted. “We choose to look at these challenging times as opportunities to learn, grow and make our programs even better, so that we can continue to be of service to our community. We look forward to continued relationships with schools, community groups, and community stakeholders in order to make a positive impact on oral and overall health."
Additional Community Dentistry programs hosted throughout the year:
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.
