Oral Health Exam? All in a Day’s Play for Kids at Boston Children’s Museum

The line stretched around the block as excited Boston children and their parents, siblings, and friends waited to get into the Boston Children’s Museum for the Countdown to Kindergarten event. The August 30 event was an annual celebration for families with children entering kindergarten at Boston Public Schools. The event attracted hundreds of families that not only got to see the museum, but also got to learn about a variety of kindergarten-related resources.

Twenty-four GSDM students and CHP Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri set up a command center in The Common on the second level of the museum. First children stopped at the GSDM registration table where they made festive bedazzled tooth necklaces, and then they had a chance to win oral health prizes as part of a revamped Celebrity Smiles game featuring cartoon and other characters relevant to their age range. From there they moved on to another table where they could learn about brushing by cleaning Doogie’s teeth and about oral health. After that the real fun began as the children were greeted and brought to the screening area where the students and Ms. Lituri screened them for any oral health-related problems and made referrals if needed. Most of the children received a clean bill of health and a reminder to brush and floss regularly.

Said one child to his mother, after his exam was complete, “Can we do that again?”

Another, who needed to work a little more on brushing, promised Ms. Lituri that he and his mom would brush together every day so his teeth would be healthy and strong for kindergarten.

Overall the GSDM command center was a popular place, and sounds of laughter and fun could be heard throughout the evening.

Photos are available on facebook and flickr.