MPUSD Partners with Colgate to Provide Free Dental Check Ups to Students
For Immediate Release:
January 24, 2024
Media Contact:
Marci McFadden | 831.706.6971
MPUSD Partners with Colgate to Provide Free Dental Check Ups to Students
Monterey, CA - The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District this week partnered with Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® to provide free dental check ups for a little more than 800 students in grades kindergarten through 5th grade at 10 elementary and TK-8 schools in Marina, Monterey and Seaside.
The Colgate team brought its dental bus from the Los Angeles area to serve students. To date, MPUSD is the only district on the Central Coast to offer this service thanks to strong collaboration by the district’s lead school nurse Melanie Allen. Allen, along with MPUSD’s team of school nurses and health assistants promoted the opportunity to families and collected consent forms in advance. Ord Terrace Elementary in Seaside collected the most consents and 162 students will receive check ups on January 25 Nearly 130 students from La Mesa school received check ups today. The program continues this week, and the district is already working on another visit by Colgate for October 2024.
“The whole point of this project is to close the loop,” says Allen. “Parents don’t know if students have dental issues unless they have a toothache. Identification is the first step in getting students the dental care they need.”
For some students this is the very first time they have received any type of dental care. “We found a suspected abscess in a child today,” said Allen. The next step is helping to connect families with ongoing dental care.
While visiting the dentist can be filled with anxiety, most students were eager to participate because of the venue - a bright and colorful bus - which many dubbed “the magic dental bus.” “This gives students a good first impression and positive experience,” says Allen. “Students looked so happy and they received a free goodie bag of dental supplies.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cavities (or tooth decay) are the most common chronic disease of childhood in the United States. The CDC notes that untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating, speaking, playing, and learning. Moreover, children who have poor oral health often miss more school and receive lower grades than children who don’t.
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About MPUSD
The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District is built on a solid foundation of effective instruction, positive school culture, systems of support, and collaborative leadership. We are building innovative schools that offer dynamic learning opportunities to all students. While our programs will evolve over time, our focus remains steadfast on increasing student achievement and eliminating performance gaps. The district was established July 1, 1966, and is home to seven elementary schools, three transitional kindergarten - 8th grade schools, two middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, an alternative high school, three preschools, and an adult education program. MPUSD stretches from the city of Marina to the north to the city of Monterey to the south, and encompasses the communities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Sand City and Seaside.
About Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures®
Colgate believes that every child and their family have a right to a lifetime of healthy smiles. That's why we’re championing a brighter future for 2 billion children and their families as we work to improve the health, education, and wellbeing in the U.S. and around the world. Since it was established in 1991, Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® program has reached more than 1.6 billion children in more than 100 countries. Kids learn powerful habits like brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Our mission is to connect underserved communities to oral health education, free dental screenings and treatment referrals. Together we can promote lifelong learning opportunities and create a world of bright smiles and even brighter futures.
