Panhandle Health District

                                                              8500 N. Atlas Road         Hayden, Idaho  83835

www.phd1.idaho.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                      Date:       December 21, 2011                            

Contact:                                                                                                       Released by: Lora Whalen, Director                            

Cynthia Taggart

Public Information Officer

(208) 415-5108

(208) 818-7288 (cell)

Dental Party Helps Local Teens

Hayden – Years ago, Aubrey Howlett signed up her preschool-age children with a dentist who accepted Idaho Smiles, Medicaid’s dental coverage.

                  “I wanted to make sure their teeth were taken care of while they were kids,” Howlett said last week at the Panhandle Health District’s (PHD) Teen Dental Party. “But my dentist stopped accepting Medicaid and so did others.

                  “It was so nice to be able to bring my daughter to this dental party and find out nothing is wrong with her teeth.”

                  Howlett’s daughter Maggie, 12, was among 39 middle- and high-school students who attended the second annual PHD Teen Dental Party. The event was organized to provide dental screenings, sealants, fluoride varnish and referrals for teens without dental coverage or the means to pay for dental services.

                  Dr. John Coburn, a dentist from the Dirne Community Health Center, screened each child for problems before sealant was applied. Dental sealants are a plastic material that is painted onto the chewing surfaces of permanent molar teeth. The sealants reduce the risk of cavities occurring on the chewing surfaces of the teeth.

                  Dr. Coburn found abscesses in one child’s mouth and called in a prescription. The child was given a voucher for follow-up care with a local dentist. Ten dentists donated 28 vouchers to the dental party for follow-up cleanings or restorative care.

                  Carrie Busch and Karla Marshall, PHD’s dental hygienists, applied the sealant and fluoride varnish, a protective liquid coating applied to the teeth with a brush.

                  “I asked kids how long it had been since their last checkup and most said a few years,” Busch said. “A lot of kids are in families that don’t get Medicaid, the parents have lost their jobs and dental insurance. That’s why this clinic is important.”

While kids waited for their turn, they watched Christmas movies, played games and snacked on chocolate or strawberry milk and string cheese donated by the United Dairymen Association.

                  All kids left with door prizes donated by 15 local merchants, educational materials and electric toothbrushes.

                  “Maggie was so excited she brushed her teeth three times last night,” Howlett said. “It was such a great experience not to be in a clinic. We didn’t feel like just a number.”

                  Linda Harder, PHD’s oral health program coordinator, said her plan is to continue the teen dental party as an annual event.