Throughout the fellowship I taught parents and children about the benefits of oral health through numerous health fairs, one-on-one educational sessions with parents, and oral hygiene instruction with the children. I conducted a large portion of my outreach efforts at Lovelady Women’s Center in order to create awareness of the Medicaid dental benefits available for children and to instruct parents on age appropriate methods to take care of their child’s teeth.

As a result of the program:

• 52 pediatric patients were connected to a dental home and received treatment at Christ Health Center
• 40 children measurably improved oral hygiene habits

The project may be continued through a School of Dentistry student organization as an on-going oral health community service initiative for underserved communities in Birmingham.

“This fellowship experience has taught me a great deal about myself and the ability that we all have to do something truly impactful. Throughout my project I have learned how to effectively communicate preventative health information to underserved populations, design health educational materials, and actively engage young children. In addition to the practical skills that I have gained through my service, I have grown from my experiences with other Fellows. This fellowship has served as an opportunity to step outside of the confines our respective academic programs to interact with a group of peers that share a common ethos, but with differing perspectives and capabilities. This type of multidisciplinary collaboration is essential to solving the world’s health problems and as a future health professional, I will continue to seek opportunities to learn in this way.”