VCU dental students teach dental health lessons to students at Wise Primary

Helping Andy the Alligator brush his teeth will remind 6-year-old Kiyla Bentley to brush hers twice daily – although the Wise Primary student said she likes taking care of her teeth.

Andy and his fellow puppet pals, Harry the Horse and Darrell the Dog, visited Kiyla and her classmates Friday when four dental students with the Rural Elementary Dentistry team spoke to first-grade classrooms in Wise about dental health.

All in their second year at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, the dental students taught the Wise Primary students how to brush their teeth, what foods to eat in moderation to avoid cavities, and the importance of wearing a mouth guard when playing sports.

The trip is part of the team’s initiative to reduce the number of people seen for dental care at RAM, the annual free health care fair held at the Wise County Fairgrounds each July.

“Between Mountain Dew and meth we took out 4,200 teeth in two and a half days” at RAM this year, said Carol Brooks, clinical director of Missions of Mercy, a dental group that provides free care in rural locations.

Brooks, also a dentist and an associate professor at the School of Dentistry, thought that talking with school children about their oral hygiene might encourage a lifetime of healthy dental care, and cut down the need for free dental clinics.

“I just don’t want to take out that many teeth each year,” she said. “And it’s mostly young people. It kind of breaks my heart and I want to change that.”

With the aid of dental student Emily Bowen, whose mother worked at Wise Primary, the team also was able to visit Wise in April. The team has committed to visit Wise three times a year, and to send monthly newsletters, games or dental supplies for the children, Brooks said.

“I know we’re committed to this area and want to make a difference,” she said.

The four dental students are from Southwest Virginia, and said they want to encourage children to pursue higher education and a healthy lifestyle.

“We enjoy showing some of the things we learned,” said Chris Davenport, who graduated from UVa-Wise, just minutes down the road from Wise Primary. “It’s a great way to come back to where we’re from.”

Student Tyler Ball, from Honaker, and Eugenia Alvardo, from Galax, are also on the team with Bowen and Davenport. All four helped with RAM.

In the classroom, the elementary students got to brush the puppets’ teeth and see firsthand how much sugar is in one 20 oz. Coke – 15 teaspoons.

“I got to brush the dog’s teeth,” said Noah Miller, 6. 

His classmate Ashar Khan, also 6, said the best thing he learned was to brush his teeth twice a day. But he liked the presentation “because you get goodie bags,” which included toothpaste, floss, stickers and a new toothbrush.

Some of the children were especially excited about getting new dental supplies – one classroom erupted into cheers when Ball announced they would also be receiving a new toothbrush to take home.

Bowen, who is from Wise and went to Wise Primary, said the group wanted to be a positive influence on the students.

“In the very early stages we thought about what grades we wanted to visit, and decided to go with the younger grades because families are more involved with them at this age,” she said. “Parents have stopped us in the halls to thank us.”