Dental Assisting students visit special needs classes to teach proper oral hygiene

Dental Assisting club members from the SJVC Bakersfield campus spent the morning of December 16^th educating a combined class of 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grade special needs students at Laurelglen Elementary School on how to properly brush and floss their teeth.

The nine young autistic students, along with their teacher and teacher’s aides, listened intently to basic oral hygiene instructions, whose techniques were demonstrated with an oversized toothbrush on a mouth model. “The students were wonderful, and eager to learn and participate,” says Kimberly Rosalez, Dental Assisting Program Director, who accompanied the Dental Assisting students.

Each young student took a turn brushing and flossing, and prizes were given for performing those techniques successfully. The Dental Assisting students had also prepared oral hygiene kits to give the young students that included a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss.

“The day’s highlight was seeing my students interacting with these enthusiastic students, and doing a great job of delivering this information to them,” says Kimberly. “They also enjoyed making their presentation and working well together.”

Community service events, such as this one, are valuable experiences for SJVC students. “Our Dental Assisting students are getting ready to head out to extern sites, so this interaction with these kids will help them to work with their patients during externship,” says Kimberly.

Participating SJVC Dental Assisting students include: Karissa Rodman, Jessica Dolen, Francheska Valdez, Diana Cendejas and Jacqueline Medellin.

Laurelglen Elementary School teacher, Susanna Munoz, expressed her appreciation to SJVC’s Dental Assisting students, and mentioned that one of her young students “missed Professor Kim and wanted to thank her for coming to their class.”

Although this was the Dental Assisting Club’s first presentation to this elementary school, they often get out in the community to provide oral hygiene tips.