Dental hygiene students volunteer to help Valley youth

HARLINGEN - Some Texas State Technical College students are trying to combat the problem of tooth decay in children.

About 33 dental hygienist students visited area elementary schools Thursday to educate children about the importance of dental hygiene and dental disease prevention.

Jenny Fite, dental hygienist and instructor at TSTC, said the educational outreach was done for a college class grade as well as community service.

"The number one childhood disease in the nation is cavities," Fite said. "(This information) was shocking to (TSTC students). It's a grave concern that people don't have the information."

According to a Medical News Today report, "in the United States dental (cavities) remain the most common childhood disease, five times more common than asthma."

Fite said society's fast-paced life and inadequate information could be factors in dental disease.

It is important to educate children about dental care at a young age because they will learn that taking care of their teeth is important and having nice teeth will help their self-esteem, Fite said.

TSTC dental program students Marcela Bishop, Lesley Ochoa and Darla Taubert visited a second-grade class at Calvary Christian School on Thursday.

They showed students a dental disease prevention video and used a handmade stuffed tooth doll, Pearl E. White, to demonstrate proper brushing techniques.

The TSTC students also composed a song to encourage children to brush their teeth:

"Brush, brush, brush your teeth. Keep them clean each day, then you'll have a pretty smile and healthy teeth all day."

Taubert said she hopes the students will spread the message about proper dental care.

"Kids are so impressionable at this point and they're fine-tuning themselves," Taubert said. "I hope that they will be the seed that goes home and plants (the lesson they learned)."

Taubert said this was also a lesson for her because she was able to work on her people skills and different types of people who she will be dealing with in the dental hygiene profession.

"To see the look on (the student's) face and know that they are understanding what you are saying," Taubert said, "it's just really rewarding."

Will McKinney, a student at Calvary, said he usually brushes his teeth twice a day and uses mouthwash as well.

"I learned that you should floss once a day and brush your teeth two times a day for two minutes," McKinney said. "Because if you don't and you already have adult teeth they might fall out."

Devin Taubert, another student at Calvary and Darla Taubert's daughter, said it was fun having her mother teach her class about dental hygiene.

"Cavities aren't really good for your teeth because they can make a hole in your tooth and then you would have to go to the dentist," Taubert said.

Devin Taubert visits the dentist every six months and said children should remember to eat fruits and vegetables, instead of junk food, and drink plenty of water because food can also damage teeth.