GSDM Hosts the 10th Annual Blackstone School Field Trip
The 10th Annual Blackstone School field trip was held on June 11. As part of the trip four classrooms of third grade children from a South End elementary school visited Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) for the day. Activities began with an oral health presentation from Liz Montero DMD 11, the student organizer of the event. Montero, a member of the Hispanic Student Dental Association (HSDA), played a key role in assisting Division of Community Health Programs (CHP) Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri with the coordination of the event.
After the presentation by Montero, Lituri read the book I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child aloud. The children were treated to a healthy snack food: yogurt parfaits. The recipe for this low sugar snack was included in the goodie bags the children received at the end of the day. Next, the children moved to the Simulation Learning Center (SLC) for a hands-on lesson. In the SLC, children enjoyed themselves as they dressed up as dentists in gowns, masks and gloves. Once properly dressed, they conducted experiments at their workstations to demonstrate the importance of sealants. They covered two walnuts, one painted with a dental sealant and one bare, with a mixture similar to the bacteria found in junk found and saw more food stick to the unsealed walnut, or “tooth”.
Dean Hutter, known to the children as the "Principal," paid a special visit to welcome everyone and answer questions about Dental School. One of the children asked Dean Hutter why the simulators had no teeth. Dean Hutter explained, "Well the students take the teeth out of the simulators. They have their own set of teeth they bring to class."
After a morning filled with learning, the children and GSDM volunteers moved outside to Talbot Green for a pizza lunch.
Lituri was especially thankful to the nearly 30 student volunteers, a group which included many members of the GSDM chapter of the HSDA and the volunteers from Project White Coat. A new aspect was introduced to the annual Project White Coat program which allows undergraduate college students to shadow dental students for the entire month of June here at GSDM. The Project White Coat undergraduate and dental students pairs made up nearly half of the student volunteers at this event.
“The 10th anniversary of the Blackstone School field trip was a huge success,” said Lituri. “This day is a lot of fun and a great way for the dental students to inspire a young child to pursue a higher education and a maybe even a career in dentistry.”
Montero also reflected, "For the past 10 years the Blackstone Elementary School field trip has been one of GSDM’s most successful outreach programs. With support from faculty, administration, and HSDA members, this year’s event was a great success." Montero continued. "I believe we have encouraged these children to continue their education and consider dentistry as a career choice."
Photos from the field trip are available on GSDM’s flickr account and the Facebook page.