Oral Health Education

While Dental Aid is an oral health care provider our focus is larger than simply cleaning and restoring teeth. Dental Aid hopes to positively impact the oral health of the populations most at risk of oral disease through prevention and early intervention.  Our dream is a generation of children who grow into adulthood without ever experiencing oral disease – no cavities and no gum disease!  We work to achieve this dream through community outreach, oral health screenings, and patient education. 
 
Oral Health Education and Screenings
Dental Aid’s education program includes showing age appropriate videos, distributing toothbrushes and toothpaste, and instructing children and caregivers on preventive maintenance, including brushing, flossing, fluoride, and healthful nutrition habits.

Dental Aid conducts non-invasive screenings for schools, health fairs and community groups.  During dental screenings, a dental hygienist or assistant looks at each child’s mouth and rates oral health needs according to five categories: urgent dental needs, problems found, orthodontic consult recommended, better brushing recommended, or no problems found. A complete examination, x-rays, and cleaning are recommended for all children. The purpose of the screenings is to assess overall oral health and identify dental problems, such as severe dental caries or infection, which require immediate treatment. Parents are notified of the screening results by the school/center staff and encouraged to access dental care services.

Individual Patient Education
All Dental Aid patients receive individualized oral health education during each visit.  Patients (and when the patient is a child, their parents) receive information on the benefits of brushing, flossing, fluoride, good nutrition, and regular dental visits. Patients and parents are also asked to commit to positive oral health behavior changes for themselves and their children. The result is an increase in awareness of good oral health care, not only for the patient, but for the entire family.