MDS Back to School Jam Brings Fun and Good Health to Mission Hill

Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) and the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) know that back-to-school is a busy and exciting time of year for schoolchildren, but it’s also a good time for families to check in on their oral health.

The GSDM Division of Community Health Programs (CHP) and Tooth Smart Healthy Start (TSHS) research study team joined in the back-to-school fun with the MDS and Boston Collaborative Group on Thursday, August 30, 2012, at the Boston Back to School Jam at Mission Main in Mission Hill, Boston.

The Back to School Jam, sponsored by the MDS and Boston Collaborative Group, is open the all members of the Mission Hill community and invites neighbors to come together and learn about their own health. The event features raffles, a barbecue, and health resource tables, where GSDM got involved.

GSDM volunteers, led by Oral Health Promotion Director Kathy Lituri, Dr. Gladys Carrasco, and Dr. Ana Keohane, offered dental screenings to hundreds of schoolchildren in attendance to get them ready for a new and healthy school year. Local dentists were also invited to participate.

Ms. Kathy Lituri pointed to this event as an excellent opportunity for students to take part in a community-based event organized by the MDS, learn about oral health issues of school-aged children, meet new patients, and, of course, have fun!

The Boston Collaborative Group is an initiative sponsored by the American Dental Association, the Massachusetts Dental Society, and the Metropolitan District Dental Society. The Group’s Chair is GSDM’s own Clinical Assistant Professor Frank Schiano DMD 06 AEGD 07.

Thank you to our volunteers: local pediatric dentist Dr. Richard Carr, MDS District Affairs & Student Events Coordinator Lisa Davis, Joseph Deschene DMD 16, Dr. Ana Keohane, Ms. Kathy Lituri, BU pre-dent student Lillian Lwanga, Nadia Malik DMD 13, Danny Shum DMD 13, and Insun Yoon DMD 13.