Richardson elementary school students benefit from BCD dental program

(DALLAS, TX) — Mark Twain Elementary School students are the beneficiaries of a partnership involving the Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry, the Dallas Dental Hygienists’ Society and nurses from Richardson Independent School District that is aimed at preventing tooth decay and increasing oral health education.

A screening and fluoride varnish program is Friday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m. in the school library. Students will have their teeth screened for dental needs by HSC-Baylor College of Dentistry students and faculty supervisors, with appropriate referrals to dentists provided. Dental hygienists with the Dallas Dental Hygienists’ Society will deliver the fluoride varnish, and children will participate in education classes designed to teach good oral health habits.

“We are seeing more students with poor dental care combined with more visits from students with complaints of tooth pain, so we wanted to provide some form of preventive care,” said Nyla Karim, school nurse at Mark Twain Elementary School. “The screening and fluoride varnish program will provide a way for my students to receive this care because many of them do not have any dental insurance and have ever seen a dentist.”

State Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas; Gary Slagel, mayor of Richardson; and Tom Hatfield, director of the City of Richardson Health Department, are scheduled to attend. For more information, contact Karim at (469) 593-4806.

Founded in 1905, Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center, is a nationally recognized center for oral health sciences education, research, specialized patient care and continuing dental education.