College of Nursing Students Join Canada's Toothfairy
Oral health significantly impacts the overall health and self-esteem of children. Without proper preventative care, children may develop early dental issues, sometimes requiring dental surgery. Not to worry though, Canada’s ToothFairy is here to help, with the assistance of College of Nursing students.
The National Children's Oral Health Foundation of Canada™, also known as Canada's ToothFairy, believes every child deserves a healthy smile. They are dedicated to eliminating children’s preventable suffering from pediatric dental disease by providing programs and resources to deliver community-based preventive, educational and treatment services.
Tania Funk, 4th year nursing student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the Saskatoon Campus is one of the students who started Canada’s ToothFairy in Saskatoon. “The idea of forming this group arose during our clinical placement. My classmates and I noticed many of the children at the school had very poor oral health and limited access to dental care. Our group did a lot of work assessing oral health habits and found many of the children did not have access to toothbrushes and toothpaste, and did not see the dentist regularly.”
Nursing students Mallory Gardiner, Krista Winarksy and Mandy Helgason, alongside Tania, have set a goal to do a minimum of four presentations this upcoming school year. “So far, we have been astonished by how receptive the children are to education on oral health, and by how excited they are to receive their toothbrushes and toothpaste during our oral health presentations,” said Funk. “Canada’s ToothFairy is a way for nursing students to become leaders in health care. An educative and preventative approach can improve the health of children and begin to change the focus of Saskatchewan health care from acute care to prevention. This is also a great opportunity for nursing students like myself to gain experience working in the community and improve our presentation skills.”
When asked about the start of this project, Assistant Professor Dr. Marcella Ogenchuk replied, "I have incorporated pediatric oral health in my class curriculum and clinical rotations since 2007; however, Canada’s ToothFairy is a new student led initiative, which provides them with a means to tackle issues they have observed. I am delighted to be involved as a faculty advisor with these committed students, who are working at increasing oral health literacy to improve health behaviors among children and youth".
If you are interested in working with Canada’s ToothFairy here in Saskatoon or would like to learn more, please contact Tania Funk or Dr. Marcella Ogenchuk.