FYI

Helping children understand the importance of oral health at an early age is crucial for helping them to live long, healthy lives. As a dental professional, partnering with local schools to help educate students on proper dental hygiene is a great way to make a difference in kids’ lives and build your presence in the community.
 

Volunteering helps ensure students get access to oral health information

By visiting a school and giving a presentation on good oral health habits, you’re ensuring that the students are getting expert information on how to brush and floss and why it’s important for them to do so. In communities with populations that are underserved by the dental and medical industries, this can be an important point of contact with a trusted health professional.

Even in communities that are more affluent or better served by health professionals, your presence can encourage the formation of lasting habits. It’s one thing for mom and dad to model good behavior at home, but as a professional coming to see them at school, your presence can be an example of good oral hygiene (especially if you know how to communicate well with children). You can also share fun resources like activity and coloring pages, storybooks and more that will help engage younger children. You can find resources like these on Delta Dental’s kids’ activities page.
 

Being engaged in the community helps spread awareness of your practice

When parents look for dentists to bring their children to, they’ll turn to trusted sources and public reviewers. Having a positive reputation at local schools makes it easier for parents to find out about your practice and put their faith in you to care for their children’s smiles.  

Many schools have fundraisers that encourage members of the community to donate time and resources to help enrich the students’ school experience. This can be a good way to build a rapport with the school’s administration. In addition, you can reach out to staff you may know. Starting with school personnel is always a good first step, but you could also contact other staff, like nurses or counselors, or parents who are active in parent-teacher groups. 

Regardless of how you go about it, partnering with local schools is great for everyone: the schools, your practice, and most important of all, the students.