SUNY Canton Dental Hygiene Students Awarded for Helping Rome-Area Children

CANTON, NY (08/17/2015)(readMedia)-- SUNY Canton's Dental Hygiene program recently received the American Dental Hygienists Association Student Member Community Service Award.

The program has received this distinction four times since it began in 2006 at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Rome, N.Y. Most recently, students were recognized for their community outreach project in second-grade classrooms at Bellamy Elementary School, also in Rome.

"Access to dental care is a growing concern in today's society," said Assistant Professor Pamela P. Quinn, who won the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service earlier this year. "The Dental Hygiene students offered preventive services to a population with unmet dental needs. The children not only received free preventive care, but also became more comfortable interacting with oral health care professionals."

More than 100 children participated in educational activities organized by the Dental Hygiene students which included learning proper brushing and flossing techniques as well as how to make healthy food choices to achieve good oral health. Twenty-one of the children received a dental screening at SUNY Canton's teaching clinic.

"We also placed a protective coating on their permanent molars and provided an application of fluoride varnish to reduce the risk of cavities free of charge," Quinn said. "Dr. Terrence J. Thines, Division Chief of Dental Surgery and two of the residents from SUNY Upstate Medical University examined the children and offered their support in this collaborative project by examining the children."

The three-month project was spearheaded by adjunct instructors Lindsay E. Argyle and Kasey L. Penoyer, according to Quinn. The project was also supported by the SUNY Canton and SUNY Cortland foundations, Dentsply, GC America, Patterson Dental and Ultradent.

About the Dental Hygiene Program

SUNY Canton began offering the two-year dental hygiene program in 2006 by partnering with Mohawk Valley Community College and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It has run with a full contingent of students and generated a successful four-year online program. Graduates in the program have enjoyed a 100 percent passage rate on the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination and a 100 percent employment rate. For more information on how to make an appointment for preventative care, please contact the SUNY Canton Dental Hygiene Clinic at SUNY Canton's Rome Campus, at (315) 336-3484.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses, as well as 10 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 14 athletic teams compete as provisional members of the NCAA Division III and the USCAA.

-www.canton.edu-