The Student American Dental Hygienist Association chapter at the UNMC College of Dentistry used the organization’s first grant to take part in a University of Nebraska-Lincoln event this spring.
“The grant funds were to be used for events or projects that directly support UNL students or community health and well-being in the areas of emotional, physical or social well-being,” said Emily Lindquist, clinical instructor in the UNMC Department of Dental Hygiene and adviser to the group.
SADHA leaders Hannah Parsley, Cori Combs and Addison Knoll were among the students who staffed the booth at the UNL event.
Parsley, SADHA treasurer, said the award provided a great avenue for outreach.
“We were thrilled to receive that grant, as it gave us a new opportunity to educate college student on oral health,” she said.
The group used the grant to purchase 129 electric and 144 manual toothbrushes and – during UNL’s “Abbott We Give Blood” health expo in April — handed them out to UNL students after providing an educational session on dental hygiene, touching on topics such as the proper ways to brush and floss, recognizing signs of gum disease and the role of preventative measures in oral health.
“The event was extremely successful,” SADHA President Combs said. “We were able to educate and gift an electric toothbrush or manual toothbrush to over 250 UNL students on city campus.”
Though dental hygiene students, like all college of dentistry students, do a lot of dental outreach, the April event was one of the largest so far for SADHA as a group.
“This was also the first grant we applied for,” Lindquist said, noting there was a learning curve.
“Dental hygienists are so prevention minded,” Lindquist said. “It was great to see our students provide that education and make a difference in somebody’s oral health.”
Knoll, SADHA secretary, said that making an impact is the group’s goal.
“It is important to use the education we have received to improve not only the oral health but overall health of everyone,” she said.