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Dental Health Awareness Day at Liberty Elementary

Samuel Roth - Reporter/Photographer
Posted 2/23/18

The Liberty Elementary School recently hosted Dental Heath Day to raise awareness for elementary age students. The event was organized by SueAnn Boyd of Cornell Cooperative Extension and Amanda …

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Dental Health Awareness Day at Liberty Elementary

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The Liberty Elementary School recently hosted Dental Heath Day to raise awareness for elementary age students. The event was organized by SueAnn Boyd of Cornell Cooperative Extension and Amanda Langseder, director of community health for Catskill Regional Medical Center (CRMC), a division of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System.

Over 100 people attended the event, resulting in 17 oral checkups, 17 vision tests and seven free flu vaccinations.

Booths were set up along the back side floor-plan of the Elementary School Cafeteria. Cross-sections of health organizations represented the event, manning their respective booths to provide informative and educational content for both parents and students.

Cooperation and coordination was paramount to the event, as community health groups from New York State, Hudson Valley and Sullivan County congregated [committedly] in support for the children's best interest in Liberty.

The Health Organizations at the Dental Health Awareness event that night included: New York State PTA, Catskill Regional Medical Center, Hudson Valley Community Services, Sullivan County Wellness, Fidelis Care, the Maternal-Infant Service Network, Sullivan County Rural Health, and SNAP [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program].

Jacqueline Harris, the Liberty Elementary School Principal, said: “This Dental Expo is important. We are encouraging healthy lifestyles and proper brushing. We provide student support, and this is a great opportunity to learn dental health wellness.” Ms. Harris explained, “Liberty Schools have basically only provided the venue for the local health services. Nevertheless, it is the concern of all these great organizations, including Liberty Central, to come together for the benefit of supplying tons of needed information to parents and children.

“It is a combined effort. But, you really have to give praise to the organizers,”Harris said. “Because it is the task of getting together and coordinating all these groups into one place, and to forge the relationships and networks to properly address these concerns among the youth and our students.”

SueAnn Boyd, the Dental Health Event's organizer from Cornell Cooperative, stated simply: “The goal is creating healthy schools and healthy local communities.” Boyd explained, “This is not just about dental wellness, but the advocacy for general health. And the support of the greater public for clean water and better food, for the entire community.”

A local dentist, who chose to remain anonymous, attended the Dental Awareness meet. He told a story of a dinner to which he had gone with two of his friends. He and his one friend maintained decent teeth, but the other friend's teeth were in complete disrepair. When the friend with the poor dental hygiene went home, leaving the two others in the parking lot, the dentist looked over to his well-hygiened friend and said: I guess Old Johnny didn't think it was important to take care of his teeth. Did you see him? He could barely chew!”

The dentist finished the story, saying, “The mouth is where all digestion starts.”

“53 percent of 3rd grade students in Sullivan County have untreated cavities,” said Langseder, referencing a 2017 study by the NYS Department of Health. “This is a real concern.” Langseder noted that these figures seem to correlate with financial or class differences.

Langseder talked about two documentary films: one was a movie that addressed the issue of Americans being overweight and the over- consumption of sugar, the other was a movie where European school kids were presented with American lunch meals, of which they vehemently declined for the extreme poor-quality of the food.

“I don't want to see this American stereotype as the future of our schools and our society. Integrating high quality foods and advocating health-directed hygiene is the key. This is exactly why we are having this event.”

At the end of Liberty Dental Awareness, a student raffle was drawn. Ten baskets were divided between the winners. The baskets included toothpaste, mouthwashes, toothbrushes, dental floss, decorative crayons and pens, and toys.

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