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Kenya King
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Perimeter College
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DUNWOODY, Ga—Perimeter College dental hygiene students and faculty hosted a fun “Outer Space” day of activities and dental exams for more than 70 children recently as part of their “Give Kids A Smile” event at the college. All the children received comprehensive dental exams and teeth cleaning, and some also received fluoride treatments, pit and fissure treatments and X-rays as needed. Fun prizes were also given out to the children.
Perimeter College Dental Hygiene assistant professor Dr. Amy Smith coordinated the ‘Give Kids A Smile’ dental hygiene day which took place in the college’s dental hygiene clinic. The event was geared toward children whose families may not be able to afford dental care and was staffed by 51 dental hygiene students in the college’s Dental Hygiene program.
During the day, Perimeter dental hygiene students practiced all the clinical skills they have been learning since they started the program, said Dr. Risa Handman, program director. The Perimeter dental hygiene students worked with the oversight of licensed dentists, dental hygiene faculty and alumni of the program, she said. Treatment of each child was based on need with the consent of the child’s guardian. The program was sponsored through funding by Our Dental Foundation, Mustard Seed Pediatric Dentistry and Div3 Construction, LLC
Accredited by the American Dental Association, the Perimeter College Dental Hygiene guided pathway is a two-year, five-semester course of study that begins each fall. Graduates who earn an associate degree are eligible to join a preventive oral health profession that promotes quality health and education in a variety of practice settings. Currently, the program has 28 students who are on track to graduate in May.
Story by Rebecca Rakoczy
Photo by Jenni Girtman