New equipment purchased for the dental hygiene clinic at East Tennessee State University’s College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences will be put to good use next week, when clinic staff will provide free dental sealants for young members of the Boys & Girls Club of Johnson City/Washington County.Dr. Connie Sharuga, a faculty member with the dental hygiene program in the ETSU Department of Allied Health Sciences, expects to welcome more than 40 members of the Boys & Girls Club from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8, and clinic staff will apply sealants that will help protect their teeth from decay.

The American Dental Association recognizes February as National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Sharuga said the scope of the free sealant clinic would have been smaller were it not for the recent addition of seven curing lights. Sharuga said a departmental grant of $2,980 paid for the equipment and the dental sealant material.

Students working toward a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene train at the clinic under the supervision of department faculty and the clinic’s dentist.

The Clinical Enhancement Grant was awarded to Sharuga by Dr. Nancy Scherer, dean of the College and Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.

“We’re especially excited about the free sealant clinic because it’s Children’s Dental Health Month,” Sharuga said. “We only had three sealant lights before we received the grant, but now, because of the grant, we’ll be able to see 10 children from the Boys & Girls Club at a time. We’re looking forward to this event, because the sealants make a real difference in preventing decay.”

After each patient is examined to determine which teeth are suitable for sealants, the sealant material is applied as a very thin, liquid layer that covers the natural pits and grooves in teeth, especially the molars. A curing light quickly hardens the material into a resin sealant that prevents food and bacteria from settling into those areas and causing decay. The smoother surface also makes the teeth easier to clean.

Scherer is glad the Clinical Enhancement Award is making a difference for the community.

“We’re proud of the training dental hygiene students receive in the clinic and grateful for the community support it receives,” Scherer said. “Working with the Boys & Girls Club is a way for us to give back.”

The dental hygiene clinic is open to the public and offers a comprehensive array of services ranging from teeth cleaning to X-rays to oral cancer examination. Senior citizens receive free treatment, aside from a cost to copy X-rays.

For more information on the ETSU dental hygiene clinic or to schedule an appointment, call (423) 439-4514.

Author