News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Ryan Kissinger opens up for a dental screening at Sisters Elementary School. The screening was provided by Kemple dental clinic.
Students at Sisters Elementary School opened wide on Friday while volunteer dental technicians took a good, hard look at their teeth.
It was all part of a Kemple Memorial Children's Dental Clinic screening supported by the Oregon Community Foundation's Children's Dental Health Initiative. Childhood dental disease is the most common chronic disease affecting children in the U.S., and Oregon has one of the country's highest rates of dental disease. Screening can help identify problems early, when they are readily treated.
According to Executive Director Suzanne Browning, Kemple provided screenings to some 5,000 children in Central Oregon last year, and that number is expected to climb to 6,000 this year.
Each child received a report card after the screening to take home to their parents or guardians. The report card either gave a clean bill of dental health or noted that visible signs of dental problems were found. If problems are considered severe, the school nurse will follow up with parents.
"If we have consent," Browning noted, "we do fluoride and sealant."
Sealant - which is very long-lasting - is applied to molars as soon as they erupt to prevent bacteria taking hold in grooves where it can cause cavities.
Some 310 students at Sisters Elementary School were screened on Friday.
In 1998 The Kemple Clinic was established by Dr.
H.M. Kemple, a long-time Bend resident and practicing dentist.
Dr.
Kemple wished to ensure that all children in the community are provided with quality dental care regardless of ability to pay.
While approaching his retirement, he negotiated a workspace with Deschutes County and established a free dental clinic for children unable to access dental care given their circumstances.
Working closely with Deschutes County schools, he worked diligently to expand clinic operations, raising money to fund operating costs, and encouraging local dentists to volunteer their time and facilities to treat the children of Deschutes County.
The board of directors continues to pursue a new, expanded vision for the clinic to meet the ever-growing needs of the Central Oregon community.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)