Spanish-speaking Students Get the Word Out on Oral Health

The BU chapter of HSDA attended the Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción & Thrive in 5 Educational Family Fair with CHP Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri on Saturday, September 24, at Plaza Batances. Just down the street from GSDM, the event drew a large group of families from the South End and Roxbury with pre-school age children.

HSDA members that were fluent in Spanish were encouraged to volunteer, as that was the first-language of many of the families in attendance, and it was useful to be able to present the oral health information in both English and Spanish for maximum impact. HSDA is also known at GSDM for being a student resource for those wishing to learn Spanish appropriate to a dental setting. So it was fitting that volunteers from this group participated in this lively local event.

The HSDA group set up a table where they provided oral health education and age-appropriate hands-on activities for the young children in attendance as well as their parents. They also passed out goodie bags with school supplies including crayons, pencils, and books. The goal of the fair was to highlight community resources available to attendees and provide workshops on a variety of topics, including: parenting strategies; navigating the child-care system; oral health; WIC resources and the importance of healthy nutrition. CHP and HSDA presented two of these workshops. Both focused on oral health, with one being geared toward young children and one geared toward parents and guardians of young children.

GSDM participants included: Fransheska Ovalles DMD 13, Marian Ibarra DMD 13, Danny Galvez DMD 15, Kenia Rodriguez DMD 14, Lily Santana DMD 12, and Antonio Maceda-Johnson DMD 15.

Photos are available on facebook and flickr.