Dental Hygiene in Preschoolers
Authors: Kelsey Davis, Kelsey Lautzenheiser, Sydney Landon, Paige Blanchette, Donna Tresvant, Brandi Robertson, and Haili Raulerson
Faculty Supervisor: Beverly Rowe, MSN, CNE, RN
Community Partner: FACES PreKindergarten Center
Abstract:
Our Service-learning project included educating preschool aged children (4-5) about the importance of dental hygiene. Together we constructed a plan consisting of four different stations to rotate the children in. We planned different stations to ensure we could grasp the childrens’ attention considering their ages. We also planned to construct goodie bags consisting of toothpaste, toothbrushes, and stickers to take home so they could continue practicing good dental hygiene habits at home. In teaching them dental hygiene techniques, we also planned to teach them the fundamentals of basic hygiene in handwashing techniques. Our Service-Learning group was scheduled to work with Mrs. Smotzer’s preschool classes at Faces Preschool. This Service-learning project was intended to have a large impact on the preschool aged children in Mrs. Smotzer’s class at Faces and how they interpret Dental Hygiene. We intended for it to impact us as students by the nursing students learning to communicate with preschool aged children in a way that was both beneficial to the children and nursing students, so that we could properly educate the children about dental hygiene. Some children in this demographic may not receive the appropriate dental hygiene education at home and also may not have the resources needed, so with our project the plan was for them to be properly educated about dental hygiene and have their own materials to take home and utilize. Unfortunately we were unable to implement our project, however I do feel as though the project was able to educate the student nurses about the importance of proper communication and education with preschool aged children, and the skills we learned in this project will carry on into our careers and back into the community when we are nurses.
