MCC Partners with Middlesex District Attorney’s Office & Lowell Public

LOWELL - Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Middlesex Community College, and Lowell Public Schools hosted a dental hygiene clinic for fifth and sixth grade students attending Bartlett Community Partnership and Butler Middle School on Wednesday, June 8.

The clinic is part of a partnership to provide students with preventative oral hygiene care with the goal of improving the health and wellness of children. In total about 70 schoolchildren received free dental exams and sealants from Middlesex Community College dental hygiene students during the “Give Kids a Smile” event.

“One of the biggest benefits of MCC’s dental hygiene clinic is being able to offer low-cost or free services to the community,” said Karen Townsend, MCC’s Dean of Health. “While our students gain hands-on clinical experience, people who would not otherwise have access to dental health care improve their overall health. Our faculty member Maureen Strauss worked to put the Give Kids a Smile partnership together with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Lowell Public Schools to serve local children. The goal is to provide students with necessary dental care that will help them perform at a higher level in school. It’s a win-win all around.”

The Oral Health Initiative is inspired by research that shows that poor oral health due to lack of dental care adversely affects students’ performance in school. To address this issue, MCC dental students create lesson plans to integrate dental health into the school curriculum by teaching students to brush, floss, and eat healthy food. They also perform dental exams and cleanings for students. The goal is to keep students in school and focused on academics and to not have them distracted by pain, lack of eating or sleeping.

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office Therapy Dog In-Training, Bear, also attended the event to visit with students while they awaited treatment.

So far, the Oral Health Initiative, which also includes Regis College, has provided classroom dental education for 790 second and fifth grade children, distributed 2,545 toothbrushes and oral health aids, conducted 500 oral screenings for second and fifth grade children and provided other dental services, including fluoride varnishes, sealants and x-rays.