UNMC, Educare partnership encourages healthy habits

Pediatric resident, John Cho, D.D.S., gives Mariah Martin, 3, the thumbs up for being such a good girl during her cleaning.

Dental assistant, Christina Pachon helps 4-year-old Chieng Thach pick out a sticker after his turn in the chair.

Visiting the dentist can be a scary experience for many kids … but not Mariah Martin.

The 3-year-old actually skipped into the dentist office. She was one of 70 children from The Educare Center of Omaha who boarded buses for annual dental exams and cleanings at the Munroe-Meyer Institute pediatric clinic.

“It’s so great for the kids because dental exams are hard to find for Head Start children. Head Start requires dental exams for all enrolled students but it’s challenging to find dentists that will see children who are covered by Medicaid,” said Holly Miller, Educare health service coordinator.

Educare, which opened in 2003, provides state-of-the-art, year round education and child care for economically disadvantaged children from birth to age five.

It is a collaborative effort involving Omaha Public Schools, the Omaha Public Schools Head Start program, the State of Nebraska and the Susan A. Buffett Foundation.

This is the third year UNMC has partnered with Educare to provide annual flu shots along with vision, medical and dental exams. UNMC health professionals provide free checkups and instruct the kids on preventative care.

During the dental exam, teeth are X-rayed and cleaned before residents apply a fluoride treatment.

With her cool shades on, Mariah sat calmly throughout the visit.

“Guess what? You’re all done. Give me a high-five, yes!” said John Cho, D.D.S., a dental resident at UNMC’s Pediatric Clinic, slapping hands with Mariah.

From left: Fouad Salama, D.D.S., director of the UNMC Pediatric Dental Clinic, Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice-chancellor for academic affairs, and pediatric residents Jonathan Simpson, D.D.S., Vincent Rothe, D.D.S., and Julie Haman, D.D.S., pose with some of the kids from Educare.

During the visit, Dr. Cho said he checked teeth for decay, cavities and plaque. He talked to the children about the importance of brushing their teeth in the morning and before bed at night. The dental residents will also travel to Educare to visit the younger children on site.

“The whole idea is to teach children healthy habits early on,” said Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for academic affairs. “If we can target kids between birth and age five and instill in them the value of preventative care, we can improve their future health and well-being.”

“The best part of this partnership is that the child now has a dental home. If they have a toothache or dental emergency, they can come here (to the MMI pediatric clinic). The parent does not have to call around to find a clinic, their child is already in the system,” Miller said.

With her checkup completed, Mariah picked out a Dora the Explorer sticker, new toothbrush … and then skipped out of the dentist office to meet her friends.