Sun City Smiles
Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic Welcomes Ysleta Independent School District Students for Sun City Smiles Event
Third-year dental students provide screenings and cleanings to 120 elementary school children just before Dental Smiles Month
El Paso, Texas – There were 120 fresh smiles on Thursday, April 18, when students from Capistrano and Pasodale Elementary Schools received free dental screenings and cleanings during the Sun City Smiles event at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic.
“For us, as future clinicians, we love having events that provide services to those who might not have the opportunity to get them, especially children,” said third-year dental student Gentry Nielsen. “It helps us become better qualified to work as clinicians and becoming more confident working with children.”
The Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic is the clinical practice of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, located at the Paso del Norte Health Foundation Building on the Texas Tech Health El Paso campus. The facility offers students hands-on training and an early introduction to patient care, a rare opportunity among dental schools.
“By offering events like this, our students are able to work with first and second graders, and the children get to experience a dental exam and see what it's like to be in a dental school,” said Todd Parco, D.D.S., M.S.D., assistant professor of pediatric dentistry. “If someone in the community has an oral health concern but are unable to get the care they need, the dental school is a great place to come.”
Hunt School of Dental Medicine third-year students provided faculty-supervised care during Sun City Smiles while also educating the elementary students on good oral health and study habits they can use during Dental Smiles Month, in May, and beyond.
"This is a wonderful partnership that provides an essential service at no cost for our young students, and we are eager to see this collaboration grow," said Ysleta Independent School District Superintendent of Schools Xavier De La Torre, Ed.D. "Not only does it provide practical experience for Texas Tech Health El Paso dental students, but it helps demystify the experience of going to a dentist for our students and teaches a valuable lesson in maintaining good dental health."
Aubrey Mendez, a second grader at Pasodale, said she was excited to go home and continue practicing the simple, but effective, methods that dental students emphasized during the Sun City Smiles event.
“They reminded me to brush my teeth at night and in the morning and floss every day,” she said.
The Importance of Oral Health in Children
Many children do not have regular dental care access. Studies show that more than 51 million hours of classroom time are lost annually in U.S. schools due to largely preventable oral health conditions, especially among underserved communities along the U.S.-Mexico border and surrounding Texas Tech Health El Paso.
Cavities are the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States, with more than half of children aged 6 to 8 having a cavity in at least one of their baby (primary) teeth and more than half of adolescents aged 12 to 19 having a cavity in at least one of their permanent teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A child’s chance of getting cavities can be higher if a family member has cavities; they consume sugary foods and drinks; require specialized care or wear braces or orthodontics.
“The most important thing you can do to maintain good oral health is to brush your teeth,” Nielsen said. “And smile. It’s so great to see children with a healthy smile.”
To avoid cavities and maintain oral health, the Hunt School of Dental Medicine students shared the following advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Brush their teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Parents and caregivers can help children brush their teeth until they have good brushing skills. Babies should have their teeth brushed twice a day with a soft, small bristled toothbrush and plain water when they start to come in.
If children are younger than 6, watching them brush is necessary to make sure they use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste and always spit it out rather than swallow.
Receive dental sealants when appropriate.
Drink tap water that contains fluoride.
Keeping Dental Care Close to Home
Because 75% of dental school graduates open practices near their dental schools, the Hunt School of Dental Medicine is decreasing oral health concerns along the U.S.-Mexico border by training future dentists close to home. Providing community events like Sun City Smiles allows those future dentists to begin working with their future patients early on.
The Hunt School of Dental Medicine students also serve as role models. Hopefully, these future patients see themselves in the dental students, who are attending school close to home, and are inspired to become future smile heroes by attending Texas Tech Health El Paso.
Since opening in 2021, the clinic has provided more than 37,000 hours of reduced-cost dental care to Borderplex patients.
There will be a free screening and affordable dental care day open for the public on May 23 at the Texas Tech Dental Oral Health Clinic, located at 222 Rick Francis St., El Paso, TX 79905. Space is limited and the community is encouraged to make an appointment by calling 915-215-6700.
About the Hunt School of Dental Medicine
The Hunt School of Dental Medicine opened in 2021 and is the only dental school on the U.S.-Mexico border, and the first in Texas to open in more than 50 years. The school offers the most innovative curriculum in the country, preparing students for the future of dentistry with high-tech simulation and an advanced fabrication laboratory. A first for any dental school in the nation, students begin clinical training and patient interaction during their first semester. It’s also the first and only dental school in the nation that requires Spanish language courses.
As upward of 75% of dental school graduates open practices near their dental schools, Hunt School of Dental Medicine graduates are expected to address the oral health care needs along the U.S.-Mexico border for generations to come.
About Texas Tech Health El Paso
Texas Tech Health El Paso is the only health sciences center on the U.S.-Mexico border and serves 108 counties in West Texas that have been historically underserved. It’s a designated Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution, preparing the next generation of health care heroes, 48% of whom identify as Hispanic and are often first-generation students.
Established as an independent university in 2013, Texas Tech Health El Paso is a proudly diverse and uniquely innovative destination for education and research.
With a mission of eliminating health care barriers and creating life-changing educational opportunities for Borderplex residents, Texas Tech Health El Paso has graduated over 2,400 doctors, nurses and researchers over the past decade, and will add dentists to its alumni beginning in 2025. For more information, visit ttuhscepimpact.org.