Introduction

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Teaching with Teeth: Oral Health Promotion for Students in Chicago Public Schools Chicago Community Oral Health Forum (CCOHF) 55 Heidi Johnson and Kim Bartolomucci Introduction Methods: Curriculum Development and Scheduling Methods: Implementation Results Conclusions and Future Directions • Funding secured and full-time Oral Health Educator hired. • 70 page curriculum developed, including five lesson plans for five different age groups(See Objectives) and approved by Chicago Public Schools Health and Wellness Committee. • Each lesson plan includes the following. • Teaching Objectives • Behavioral Objectives • Lesson Plan Diagram • Lesson Plan Outline • Sample Script • Oral Health Educator, 13 Kennedy-King College dental hygiene student volunteers, and one additional pre-dental graduate student volunteer have delivered presentations to over 6,255 students. • It is possible to develop a 20 minute comprehensive and engaging oral health lesson plan tailored for specific age groups. • Classroom interventions can serve to increase children’s awareness of the importance of oral health as well as increase children’s oral health knowledge. • At the end of presentations, presenters ask students what they learned; answers include: • The role of fluoride in preventing cavities. • The possibility of oral cancer. • The consequences of gum disease. • Program currently reaches a small fraction of the number of students in Chicago Public Schools, which is currently 404,151. • Continue to expand program (two additional part-time oral health educators hired), recruit student volunteers, including dental students, pre-dental students, and dental hygiene students. • Numbers of students reached through program expected to increase exponentially. • Presenters grab students’ attention by starting out with a “pop quiz” that teaches them fun, little-known facts about oral health. • Presenters demonstrate how to use a toothbrush and floss properly with a 3X life-size model set of teeth and an extra large toothbrush. • For Pre-Kindergarten through around Grade 3 students, Presenters may use toy fruits, vegetables, and other various foods to teach about healthy eating. • Teachers and classroom aides give valuable feedback on presenters and presentations by answering the following questions on evaluation forms. • Was the presentation informative? • Was it relevant and age-appropriate? • Was the presenter knowledgeable and well-prepared? • Was the message communicated clearly and effectively? • Was this a good use of classroom time? • Any other comments? • Presenters pass out goodie bags with toothbrushes, toothpaste, and brochures to take home with them, reinforcing what was learned and encouraging healthy habits. • The brochure (pictured to the left) contains information that was taught during the lesson and a note to the parent or caretaker letting him or her know there was a presentation on oral health in the child’s classroom. • Chicago Public Schools is the 3rd largest school district in the U.S. • 87 percent of students in Chicago Public Schools are from low-income homes, and children from low-income homes are more at-risk for dental disease. • CCOHF works to improve the oral health of Chicago area residents through education, communications, collaboration, assessment, and policy and program development. • Research all major professional dental organization web sites, including the American Dental Association web sites for professionals and consumers. • Do other online research, including reviewing pertinent scientific articles on PubMed. • Submit to three • dentists and one • dental hygienist • for review, and to • primary funder. • Present to • Chicago Public • Schools Health and • Wellness Materials • Review Committee. • Obtain list of all CPS • Schools. • Call school Principals • and Assistant • Principals to make • Initial contact. • Follow up by visiting • schools to request • meetings with • Principals or • Assistant Principals • in order to schedule • visits. Objectives • Develop an oral health education curriculum for students in Chicago Public Schools. • Tailor the comprehensive lesson to meet the learning needs of five different age groups: • Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten • 1st and 2nd Grade • 3rd through 5th Grade • 6th through 8th Grade • High School • Include the following topics: • Oral hygiene • Dental visits • Healthy eating • Caries etiology and gum disease • Fluoride • Benefits of chewing sugar-free gum • Trauma prevention (bottles and Sippy cups, mouthguards, oral piercings) • Oral cancer from tobacco use and excessive alcohol use (Grades 6 through High School) • Oral cancer from Human papillomavirus (HPV) (High School only; with approval from Chicago Public Schools HIV, Health and Wellness Materials Review Committee) Acknowledgements • Special thanks to the Wrigley Company Foundation for funding the CCOHF Oral Health Education Program. • Special thanks to Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Department of Public Health for partnering with CCOHF on this program.