The service learning field projects and assignments I participated in gave me an opportunity to give back to the community by providing age appropriate oral health care education. 

Service Learning Field Project Activity

For this activity, my classmates and I prepared a presentation for international college students ages 18-30. Our project centered around the importance of oral health and its connection to ones overall health. Our goal was to educate the students about dental and oral health, improve their oral hygiene care routine and promote healthy behaviors and habits. 

A large part of my involvement in this project  was to construct a plan that gives these international students the knowledge and skills they need to achieve excellent oral health, with a focus on regular preventative care. In turn, this greatly reduces the risk of suffering the long term physical, emotional and financial problems associated with tooth decay. 

GNYDM 2019 – Colgate Smiles

I participated in the Colgate Smiles program during the 95th annual Greater New York Dental Meeting to teach elementary school aged children about dental health and the right way to take care of their teeth. There were several stations with a lot of hands on activities such as puzzles, true and false games, sticker boards and building meal plates with plastic food that depicts healthy and unhealthy choices.

This experience allowed me to find a fun way to teach children about what takes place during a routine dental visit and figure out how to get young kids excited about brushing their teeth daily. It feels great knowing that by participating  in these early community outreach programs, we can be influencing the way a person decides to go about caring for their dental and oral l health for the rest of their life. Prevention is key.