Wisconsin Family Dedicates Future to Dental Programs
In August 2009, the Lunderville family from Suamico, Wisconsin visited Nicaragua for the first time. Brock and Karla were accompanied by their two daughters, Alexis and Aubrey, and they came specifically to do a service project in the elementary schools. Since dental hygiene is Karla’s profession, the family decided that they could make the biggest impact on the children in the Villa El Carmen schools with a program focused on dental care.
Prior to visiting Nicaragua, Alexis and Aubrey sent numerous letters to dental supply companies and local dentists requesting necessary supplies. In response to these letters, the girls received generous donations from businesses in their area to make the dental workshops in the schools a success.
Hope & Development Foundation arranged for the Lundervilles to visit two schools in the Villa El Carmen area: Santa Rita 1 and Nandayosis 1, both elementary schools, grades 1-6. During their two-day workshop, they were able to spend significant time with approximately 405 students, teaching them everything from brushing properly, to what plaque is, to what causes it and to the damage it can do, to how often the students should brush and floss. The time with each class flew by, and the students were collapsing in giggles by the time the workshops ended.
The Lundervilles handed out tooth brushes and toothpaste while Alexis used posters that she had created in Spanish to explain various aspects of dental hygiene. They had the students mesmerized when they handed out pink colored tablets with instructions to chew them up, then rinse. The pink disclosing tablets immediately highlighted all the plaque on the childrens’ teeth, which they were able to see with the mirrors that were passed around. With pink-tinged teeth, all the children then went outside to the playground and were able to brush away the plaque and rinse (as well as engage in spitting contests), and they could quickly see their gleaming white teeth.
Afterwards, Aubrey and Alexis passed out dental floss packages to each child. None of these children had ever laid eyes on dental floss before, and with the minty smell, many of them quickly tried to chew pieces of the floss, thinking it was some new-fangled type of gum. When shown how to properly use the dental floss between each tooth, the children were again reduced to laughter, never having thought of putting string in their mouths to clean their teeth. It should be interesting to see what other uses the children will find for the floss!
Each child received two toothbrushes, one to leave at school and the other to take home. Hands down, the most popular brushes were the colorful ones with rubber bottoms that stuck to all sorts of surfaces! While explaining proper brushing, the Lundervilles found it necessary to also educate on the necessity of not sharing toothbrushes at home with other family members or the family dog.
Our facilitators, Manuel and Aracelys, provided assistance with the children and the teachers, as well as translations and comic relief. The children loved the workshops, and the facilitators have asked for the Foundation to help them continue to provide these educational programs in dental hygiene to all the Villa El Carmen schools. The importance of these dental programs was so very obvious during the Lundervilles’ visit, as many of the children in the classrooms already had rotting baby teeth or were already losing permanent teeth due to cavities.
Our heart-felt thanks go to the Lunderville family and their dedication to making this an ongoing program with Hope and Development!
