"Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me...” - Mark 9:37
BYU Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students recently had the chance to emulate Jesus Christ by ministering to children one by one through dental education. Dr. Craig Nuttall, director of the BYU College of Nursing graduate program, felt the need to do more outreach close to home, giving back to communities in the Utah area. So, he reached out to public schools across Utah asking how BYU Nursing could help fill their needs.
Mary Frothingham, the school nurse at Helen M. Knight Elementary in Moab, welcomed BYU’s support and pondered how they could support children in the community. She decided a dental education program would be of great help to the students and began planning with Dr. Nuttall.
In Mary’s words, Moab is “like an island," with the nearest town around 50 miles away. Because it’s so remote, there are only two dentists (one of which is close to retirement) to support the community of 10,000. Needless to say, there’s a supply and demand issue. Furthermore, many in Moab don’t have access to the necessary insurance plans to obtain affordable dental care.
Seeing the need in the community, BYU College of Nursing faculty and FNP students got to work preparing a brief dental program for the children at Helen M. Knight Elementary. According to BYU nursing professor Dr. Janelle Macintosh, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services gave the group direct suggestions as to how to present and teach the information.
With those guidelines, they created a plan that would be informative and engaging for the children and presented it in early 2024. Following the success of that pilot program, BYU recently returned for round two.
The students worked with 452 elementary students in the second round, so they had their work cut out for them. To begin, the graduate students first gave brief classroom presentations on dental hygiene education. Catering to the audience, they made use of dinosaur and dragon hand puppets to demonstrate proper brushing technique, etc.
Afterward, each child was given a new toothbrush, toothpaste, and a roll of floss. FNP students worked with smaller groups of children, helping them apply what they’d learned as they practiced brushing their teeth. Finally, each child was seated for a private oral health screening in which BYU students examined their teeth for decay and applied fluoride varnishes.
The program, though short, was an incredible service to the community! All 452 children were screened, and 203 were given a fluoride varnish to protect the enamel on their teeth and diminish decay.
It should be noted that BYU’s service was very timely; of the 452, more than a third were reported as having tooth decay, and about 16% were referred to dentists for advanced treatment.
Not only were grad students able to help the children in a practical way, but they showed Christlike love for them as they served. Kristen Erekson, an assistant teaching professor who attended both Moab trips, spoke about the feelings of compassion the group shared as they served the children.
It’s very touching to look into the eyes of the children and recognize that the Lord loves them so much.
Each child was ministered to individually and personally, a concept well-illustrated as several Hispanic students were taught in fluent Spanish by several FNP students.
The students who participated absolutely loved being able to serve the community! They made sacrifices to attend by missing class, work, etc, but they gained something invaluable through their service.
For instance, graduate student Cardon Schiess spoke about how the project increased her awareness as a nurse. She said that exposure to different circumstances "can help you realize a lot of things you otherwise wouldn't think about.”
Both trips to Moab were remarkably successful, and more connections between BYU Nursing and the Grand County School District in Moab will come. Mary hopes to establish a substance abuse Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) project for middle and high school students.
Dr. Nuttall is also looking to expand such programs, potentially extending them to undergraduate BYU nursing students. With time and effort, BYU will provide even more outreach to communities close to Provo.