Dental day meets a pressing need

It is estimated that every year 51 million school hours are lost because of dental problems.

Cavities — the single-most common chronic disease among children — cause most of these dental problems.

On Friday, faculty, staff and students at the UNMC College of Dentistry will witness firsthand the devastating effects of cavities as they treat more than 150 children from seven Nebraska communities during the annual Children’s Dental Day event at the college in Lincoln.

Children from Columbus, Hastings, Lexington, Madison, Norfolk, Schuyler and West Point will receive treatment during the day’s events.

Did you know? The American Dental Association estimates that more than 100 million Americans don’t have dental insurance.

“Unfortunately for many of the children we treat at dental day, this is the first time they’ve ever been seen by a dentist,” said John Reinhardt, D.D.S., dean of the UNMC College of Dentistry. “Many of these children and their families have difficulty obtaining routine care.”

Since the program began in 2001, the college has provided more than $1 million in care to 2,500 children, he said. The type of care provided includes sealants, extractions, fillings, root canals, crowns and cleanings.

“It’s no surprise that about 25 percent of the children in Nebraska are estimated to experience 80 percent of the dental disease reported, as that’s the norm in the U.S.,” Dr. Reinhardt said.

During the dental day event, upper level dental and dental hygiene students work in the clinics, while many of the first-year students facilitate games and activities with the children and adolescents, ranging in age from 5 to 17, on the lower level of the college.

Children will learn about:

• Good snack choices;
  
• How soda pop affects teeth;
  
• What decay looks like; and
  
• How to brush and floss.

Lunch and healthy snacks also are provided and each child receives a goody bag of items that include a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, activity book and stickers.

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