Students had an opportunity to complete their dental exams during the school day last week, as the SEAL (Seal, Educate, Advocate for Learning) program was officially launched, starting out at the Gorman Fort Banks School.
The program is a collaboration of the Winthrop Public Schools and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), and it addresses the oral health needs of the students in the district. As part of the progressive program, a dental hygienist is assigned to the district and conducts exams after consent of the student’s parent has been released. The idea behind the program is to offer a more convenient approach to getting annual dental exams in while also offering education on the importance of dental health.
Resident and dental hygienist, Meghan MacAdams, is the lead hygienist assigned to the school to ensure that all participating students receive exams, which are conducted in the nurse’s office during the school day. Exams include an assessment of the child’s oral health, fluoride treatment, and an application of sealants, if needed. After inspecting the student’s teeth, she sends a full report home to the parents, which annotates detailed information from the exam. In the event that further dental care is needed, MacAdams personally reaches out to the student’s regular dentist as well as the parents to go over the findings.
So far, 81 students at the Gorman Fort Banks School have participated in the program, and MacAdams believes that students are adapting to the new way of cleanings and exams with ease. It also helps that they are rewarded with a goodie-bag, and they are in the presence of their friends and school staff.
“It’s great to give back to the community I grew up in,†said MacAdams who had the opportunity to mingle with some of her own teachers from elementary school, while she was on campus last week.
The program, which is sustained by the state, will be offered every year if this year proves to be a success. Currently, the program is serving students in 13 communities across the Commonwealth. The hope is that this program will offer a proactive approach to care and prevent students from having to ultimately miss school due to dental treatment. Records show that 52 million school hours are lost each year due to dental issues or the need for dental treatment.
“We want to teach the students how dental health can affect every other aspect of their health,†said Middle School Nurse Tara Beuoy. “This program will allow us to offer an exam in a more comfortable setting.”