To celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month, the nonprofit St. Joseph Health Ministries is bringing its “Dental Olympics” to two Lancaster County elementary schools the week of Feb. 6.

The schools are Stiegel Elementary, Manheim Central School District, and St. Peter’s Catholic School, Elizabethtown.

The news media is encouraged to cover these school visits. To coordinate a school visit, contact Neal Goulet at 717-566-4541.

The Dental Olympics teaches students about oral health while promoting physical fitness. The activities focus on brushing, flossing, food choices and what to expect during a visit to the dentist. For instance, “Plaque Attack” pits students – competing as dentists, teeth or plaque – in a game of freeze tag.

Poor oral health, combined with other risk factors, may contribute to heart disease, according to medical experts. Bacteria in the teeth and gums can travel through the bloodstream and attach to fatty plaques, potentially leading to heart attacks and strokes.

St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.
###

The nonprofit is seizing on National Children’s Dental Health Month by reaching out to new mothers and their infants in conjunction with three Lancaster County hospitals.

In February, each family of a baby born at Women and Babies Hospital, Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center or Ephrata Community Hospital will receive a children’s oral health kit that includes gum wipes, a finger toothbrush and brushing tips.

Each new mother will receive a silk rose, courtesy of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts.

St. Joseph Health Ministries operates the children’s oral health initiative “Brush. Brush. Smile!,” which provides free dental care to economically disadvantaged children throughout Lancaster County.

Brush. Brush. Smile! is best known for its two mobile dental clinics – essentially dental practices on wheels dubbed the “Brush Brush Buses” – that visit each of Lancaster County’s 16 school districts, as well as various community organizations during the summer. The program also provides classroom education, mostly to elementary-age children.

But while Brush. Brush. Smile! continues to provide restorative care, the aim of Smiles & Roses is to promote good oral health from infancy.

“Smiles & Roses is a deliberate attempt to reach out to young families from the outset so that good oral health habits become ingrained,” said Sean Reynolds, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health Ministries. “The importance of early oral health care for babies is well documented.”

Perhaps less well known in Lancaster County and central Pennsylvania is the extent of the problem.

Dr. Robert Russo had been in private practice in York for more than 30 years before becoming dentist for Brush. Brush. Smile! in 2011. He also has treated patients while doing mission work in Africa.

But nothing can compare with some of the tooth decay he has seen in Lancaster County, he said. What he described sounds more like conditions that would be associated with the developing world, such as extracting multiple teeth from the mouth of a 5-year-old or decay so bad that it caused nerve damage.

“There is some link missing here that we need to fix,” Russo said. “Tooth decay is one of the most preventable diseases that we are not preventing as well as we should.”

National epidemiological surveys show that nearly one in five U.S. children ages 2 to 4 have visually evident tooth decay, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.
###

The nonprofit St. Joseph Health Ministries operates the children’s oral health initiative “Brush. Brush. Smile!,” which provides free dental care to economically disadvantaged children throughout Lancaster County.

Nathan is an expanded function dental assistant and works on Brush. Brush. Smile!’s mobile dental clinics, the “Brush Brush Buses.”

A graduate of Calvary Christian Academy, Nathan earned a certificate in dental assisting from what is now Lancaster County Career and Technology Center. In 2008, she earned the expanded function dental assistant designation from Keystone Technical Institute.

Prior to joining St. Joseph Health Ministries, Nathan worked in private practice in Harrisburg.

Nathan resides with her family in Landisville.

St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.
###

The nonprofit St. Joseph Health Ministries has added dental hygienist Mary Wubbolt to its clinical team.

St. Joseph Health Ministries operates the children’s oral health initiative “Brush. Brush. Smile!,” which provides free dental care to economically disadvantaged children throughout Lancaster County.

Wubbolt, of Manheim, has been a dental hygienist for seven years, including four years with Penn Manor School District and most recently with a private practice in Lancaster.

A certified public health dental hygiene practitioner, Wubbolt has served as a member of the adjunct clinical faculty at Harrisburg Area Community College.

Wubbolt was a dental assistant for 18 years before pursuing her dental hygiene degree from HACC.

Besides seeing children on Brush. Brush. Smile!’s mobile dental clinics, Wubbolt will lead St. Joseph Health Ministries’ partnership with the Healthy Beginnings Plus program at Ephrata Hospital. She will provide dental screenings and education to new mothers in need.

St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.
###

In its ongoing efforts to improve oral health in Lancaster County, the nonprofit St. Joseph Health Ministries is bringing its Dental Olympics – complete with a game of freeze tag called Plaque Attack – to three Lancaster County elementary schools in October.

The schools are Burrowes in the School District of Lancaster and Salisbury and Paradise in Pequea Valley School District.

The Dental Olympics teaches students about oral health while promoting physical fitness. The activities focus on brushing, flossing, food choices and what to expect during a visit to the dentist.

During the 2010-2011 school year, nearly 4,000 children completed the program. Meanwhile, St. Joseph Health Ministries provided customized oral health education to another 5,700 students.

The October school visits coincide with National Dental Hygiene Month. Poor oral health, combined with other risk factors, may contribute to heart disease, according to medical experts. Bacteria in the teeth and gums can travel through the bloodstream and attach to fatty plaques, potentially leading to heart attacks and strokes.

The news media is encouraged to cover the school visits. To coordinate a school visit, contact Neal Goulet at 717-566-4541.

St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.
###

The annual Gala took place Sept. 9 at the Cork Factory Hotel, Lancaster, with the theme of “A Night Beneath the Stars … Making Smiles Bright!” The evening featured dinner, live music and dancing, and silent and live auctions.

The 2011 Diamond Sponsors were Medication Information Services and UPMC for You, an affiliate of UPMC Health Plan.

“We’re grateful to all of the Gala sponsors and the guests who contributed to making this year’s Gala a tremendous success,” said Sean Reynolds, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health Ministries. “The proceeds will be used to improve the lives of many children who otherwise would go without dental care.”

Reynolds noted that planning for the 2012 Gala won’t be far off. Anyone interested in volunteering for the planning committee can contact Beth Grossmann at 717-239-1188 or at bethgrossmann@catholichealth.net.

Since its debut in 2004, Brush. Brush. Smile! has performed more than 44,000 dental procedures on more than 3,100 children in Lancaster County. Brush. Brush. Smile! also has provided oral health education to more than 39,000 children.

The nonprofit St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.
###

Bad weather notwithstanding, the Gala remains on schedule for Friday evening, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the Cork Factory Hotel in Lancaster.

Of course, if anything changes, we will post updates on our website and on our Facebook page.

The Gala starts at 6:30 p.m. For a preview of our many great auction items, you can view the Gala program here.

In the year ending June 30, Brush. Brush. Smile! provided:
• Clinical care to 740 children;
• Oral health education to 5,719 children;
• An opportunity for 3,861 children to participate in its Dental Olympics program.

Although not a record, the value of clinical care in fiscal 2011 totaled $742,724 for 9,990 procedures.

Since its inception in 2004, Brush. Brush. Smile! has provided dental care and education to more than 42,000 children. The value of care provided tops $3 million for nearly 45,000 procedures.