Doogey the Dog is a puppet used to teach children proper bushing techniques
On September 15 and 16, 2014, pre-doctoral students from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) joined Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri for two days of dental outreach at Nurtury, a preschool-based program serving infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children.
Students worked with the children in small groups and talked to them about the importance of teeth and why they always need to brush them. They engaged the children with the use of puppets and a song about brushing teeth. The students then prepared the children for dental screenings and fluoride varnish application by practicing the “tell, show, and do” technique. First, they told them about what they were going to do, then showed them, and when the children understood what was about to happen, the students were able to do the oral screenings and apply the fluoride varnish.
Margi Chan DMD 16 said, “We filled out a report card to put inside the children’s goodie bags. These served to communicate directly with the parents or caretaker at home to inform them about the child’s oral health if we detected caries or poor oral hygiene, or to reinforce the good effort they have been making to take care of the child’s teeth.”
The service learning program is connected with the third year pre-doctoral Pediatric Dentistry course for DMD3 and AS2 students. The purpose of the program is to better acquaint pre-doctoral students with pediatric patients and to provide oral health outreach to preschool age children.
Volunteers included: Margi Chan DMD 16, Sai Ramani Krishna Kumar AS 15, Jinjoo Lee DMD 16, Kathy Lituri, Mona Najafi DMD 16, Alyssa Peracchio DMD 16, Ali Basha Shaik AS 15, and Diana Torres AS 15.
If you are interested in attending an upcoming preschool visit, contact Kathy Lituri at lituri@bu.edu.