'Sealant Saturday' Event at Penn College Serves 79 Children
Published 02.09.2007
Dental hygiene students and faculty from Pennsylvania College of Technology teamed with volunteer dental hygienists and dentists to provide free oral screenings, sealants and education for 79 children as part of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association's statewide "Sealant Saturday" program on Feb. 3.
This year's local program, held in Penn College's dental hygiene clinic, resulted in 417 free dental sealants being placed on the children, ages 7 to 15. In the Williamsport area, the average cost to have one sealant placed is approximately $30. This equates to more than $12,000 in free dental services provided during the four-hour volunteer effort.
Supplies for the event were funded by The Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association, and the sealant material was donated by Dentsply.
Dental sealants are thin, plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth to seal the pits and grooves on the teeth. The sealant acts as a physical barrier to prevent oral bacteria from collecting and creating the acid environment that allows decay to develop.
For more information about the PDHA, visit on the Web .
For more information about the academic programs offered by the School of Health Sciences at Penn College, call (570) 327-4519, send e-mail or visit online .