Sealant Saturday

By Theresa Grady 

     Our 6th annual Sealant Saturday Program took place on February 2, 2008. Licensed Dental Hygienists from the surrounding community and members of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists Association teamed up with Community College of Philadelphia Dental Hygiene Alumni, Faculty, First and Second year Dental Hygiene Students and Faculty Dentists to volunteer for this extremely significant community event. Dental Hygiene students placed clear, protective sealants on the chewing surfaces of children’s back permanent teeth. This is an important and widely used preventive measure to decrease decay. Most decay is seen on the biting surfaces or occlusal surfaces, which have pits and fissures. These areas are difficult to clean and this allows food and bacteria that collect on these surfaces. By placing the dental sealant into the pits and fissures of the tooth, shortly after eruption, a smoother surface is created and a decrease in decay may be seen. If sealants were applied routinely to susceptible tooth surfaces (deep pits and fissures) in conjunction with proper fluoride use, most tooth decay in children could possibly be prevented.
    Each year this program takes place at approximately five (5) Pennsylvania Dental Hygiene Schools with a total of $50,000.00 worth of free dental service to underserved children in PA., which include, caries examinations, oral home care instruction and nutritional education. The dental hygiene program at the college, believes in the mission of PDHA (Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists’ Association), which is to improve the public’s total health by ensuring access to cost-effective quality oral health care.