Great Stories
Montana Campus Corps:
College Students Meeting Critical Community Needs
Sealant Day - Giving Kids A Smile by Mel Olson


On the last Saturday in March, Montana State University - Great Falls College of Technology hosts a Health Fair. Every year, many vendors participate in showing off their products or providing new information to share with customers that come to MSU-GF. The MSU Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene programs also participate in this day by providing free dental sealants and examinations to children. It's completely first come first serve! I was able to participate in this most recent Sealant Day project and witnessed many success stories. What absolutely stuck with me since that day was the most was the "big picture". Hundreds of free sealants placed and hand-fulls of free examinations so parents could know what to do next! I sat down that day with a calculator just to see how much money our dental clinic saved our community and figures rose about $7000; In only about 6 hours our clinic saved our community so much money. And when looking past finances, we saved so many teeth for these children! Providing dental sealants significantly reduced their risk for cavities. Many of these children will appreciate this in the years to come when they still have their teeth as strong and healthy as the day they came in!
I could not believe how much this changed my perspective on community service and volunteer work. With enough effort, we can reshape access to care. Working with AmeriCorps and the Student Members of the American Dental Hygienists' Association gave me the skills and heart to continue caring for our community for the rest of my life.


« Go Back