Students Provide $9,500 Worth of Free Dental Services
Published 05.08.2006
On May 3, senior dental hygiene students at Pennsylvania College of Technology provided free dental sealants to children at the first Sullivan Sealant Day.
The sealant program was a community event cosponsored by Penn College, the Sullivan County School District and Sullivan County Action, a nonprofit organization. Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Sullivan County Elementary School and Turnpike School were prescreened to determine eligibility for the program.
Thirty-two children received a total of 317 sealants on permanent molars and premolars. A sealant is a plastic material placed in the grooves on the chewing surfaces of back teeth. This acts as a barrier to decay-causing bacteria.
The average cost of a sealant in this area is approximately $30. The dental hygiene students provided $9,510 worth of free dental services.
The event was organized by Sandy Richmond, school nurse for Sullivan County School District, and Mary Jo Saxe, associate professor of dental hygiene for Penn College.
Photos by Shawn A. Kiser, coordinator of dental hygiene