Mobile Dental Vans; Renee’s Own Experience
Hello! My name is Renee Jia, and I’m the founder of Project Bright Smiles and one of the writers on the Project Bright Smiles blog team. I started this initiative after I worked in a mobile dental van for Colgate’s Bright Smiles Bright Futures (BSBF) program. This dental van drives to various areas, often we go to Walmarts and other stores, and we advertise and offer free screenings, education, and dental supplies to those who come to the van.
As a part of Colgate’s BSBF program, I was able to not only help with dental screenings and recording data, but also interact with families and kids who are interested in learning more about dentistry. The kids I talked to were very enthusiastic and made the experience feel very rewarding, and hearing the struggles that many had with their teeth was very heartbreaking yet eye opening. I began to understand that oral public health wasn’t just about providing toothbrushes and screenings, it was also about making these people feel heard and breaking down emotional barriers surrounding asking for help.
Having good oral health is not only about brushing and flossing every day. There are so many other factors such as nutrition and lifestyle that can impact one’s oral health. And the impact of oral health doesn’t just exist in the oral cavity, it can extend throughout the body in forms of worsened heart conditions and diabetes. That is why it is so important for the communities who are disproportionately impacted by oral diseases to have support for their oral health.
Working in a dental van like this has been one of the most eye-opening experiences that I’ve had, and it is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had that really drew me towards a dentistry and public health career in my future. I really encourage others who are interested in dentistry and public health to give it a try. It’s an excellent opportunity to not only be able to see how public health initiatives work (Colgate’s BSBF is an extremely large public health program), but also you get first hand experience in educating others about this program and about oral health.