CONTACT: Carol S. Weber, APR, Director of Public Relations
PHONE: 414-755-4108 (direct)
E-MAIL: cweber@wda.org
WEST ALLIS, WIS., Nov. 8, 2010 – Approximately 40 children, ages 3 to 5, from the Head Start, Salvation Army and Women, Infant and Children programs in Sheboygan County will receive dental exams and instruction in personal oral hygiene during the Fall Dental Screening Day on Saturday, Nov. 13 from 9 – 11 a.m. at the Midwest Dental office, 638 Riverfront Drive, Sheboygan.
The donated oral health care and education is valued at more than $2,000 and will be provided by 17 volunteers, including seven dentists with the help of dental hygienists and dental assistants. Social workers along with Hmong and Spanish translators will also be available.
Children with urgent dental needs will be treated. Every child will receive a goody bag that includes a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss. Financial support and supplies are donated by Midwest Dental and volunteer dentists.
More than 200 area preschoolers have received an estimated $16,000 in donated dental care through this local charitable outreach since 2007.
The event is organized by the Sheboygan County Dental Access Committee with representatives from the Sheboygan County Dental Society, Sheboygan County Health and Human Services Department, Sheboygan Area School District, St. Nicholas and Sheboygan Memorial hospitals and the Salvation Army.
“Mass screening days are a last resort, so we have been working to educate parents in these programs about the importance of good, daily oral hygiene habits, healthy diets and regular dental visits,” explains Dr. Robert Darling, the event’s coordinator and Sheboygan County Dental Society member. “The result is parents are now taking their children for regular exams and care to places like Lakeshore Technical College Dental Clinic and the Wisconsin Dental Association and WDA Foundation’s Mission of Mercy. Fewer families depend on Fall Dental Screening Day to comply with Head Start’s annual dental exam requirement.”
The Wisconsin Dental Association was established in 1870. With more than 2,900 members statewide, the WDA represents 83 percent of all licensed dentists in Wisconsin. The Northeast Region serves the counties of Brown, Calumet, Door, Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Sheboygan, Waupaca, Waushara and Winnebago. For more information on the WDA, call 414-276-4520, visit our WDA.org website or find us on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube.
