SJHM Introduces Second ‘Brush Brush Bus’
LANCASTER, Pa. (Jan. 19, 2009) – A new year, a new bus.
St. Joseph Health Ministries has added a second “Brush Brush Bus” as part of its Lancaster County children’s oral health program, “Brush. Brush. Smile!®”
Since its debut in fall 2004, Brush. Brush. Smile!® has provided nearly $2.5 million worth of free dental care and oral health education to more than 16,000 children in 16 school districts.
The hallmark of the program is its buses, also known as mobile dental clinics. The buses offer all of the amenities of the most modern dental office, including a full-time dental team complete with dentist, dental hygienist and two dental assistants. Children receive a full range of dental care including exams, X- rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, extractions and fillings.
Like the original bus, the second 40-foot bus was designed with a welcoming, warm environment for children, many of whom have never before visited a dentist. Graphics on each side of the new bus depict a multi-color stream of toothpaste squeezing out of a tube.
“Children who have a good first experience on a trip to the dentist are more likely to want to make dental care a regular part of their lives,” said Benetta Rapier, chairperson of St. Joseph Health Ministries’ board of directors.
The cheery nature of the buses, however, belies the ugly reality of children’s oral health in Lancaster County.
“We often see children whose oral health problems rival what you might find in an undeveloped country,” said Jennifer Thompson, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health Ministries. “It’s incredible to think that in America, in the 21st century, an 8-year-old child’s teeth are so decayed that he has to be fitted for pediatric dentures. It just underscores the great need that exists, which we’ll be able to address more effectively by having a second Brush Brush Bus.”
Oral health can affect how a child feels and behaves, performs in school, and develops into an adult. More than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness, according to the report “Oral Health in America.”
St. Joseph Health Ministries (www.sjhm.org) improves the health of children in need within Lancaster County.