Faculty, students, and staff of the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) will bring Lessons in a Lunchbox: Healthy Teeth Essentials & Facts About Snacks™, an oral health literacy program developed around a lunch box, to students at Bruce Elementary School on Thursday, February 23.
More than 170 students from Bruce Elementary School, located at 581 South Bellevue, will receive oral health information from 9 to 10:30 a.m. from 57 UTHSC faculty, students, and staff participating in the second-annual outreach event. The event reflects UTHSC’s continuing commitment to community service.
The program is designed to help children learn about taking care of their teeth and making healthy dietary choices. It also will introduce them to careers in dentistry.
With a lunchbox as a teaching tool, the elementary school students will learn the importance of dental hygiene. The lunchbox includes a color-coordinated carrot-shaped case with a rinse cup top. The case is designed to store a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss. The Lessons In a Lunchbox for the students, which cost more than $2,100, are provided through the fundraising efforts of Children’s Oral Health Institute of Baltimore, Maryland. For more information, visit www.mycohi.org.
“At Bruce Elementary School, we inspire lifelong learners through finding ways to develop the whole child by exposing them to resources and healthy living tools,” said Archie Moss, principal of Bruce Elementary School. “One of these vital necessities is teaching our scholars the importance of healthy teeth. They have a personal role in preventing tooth decay by practicing proper oral hygiene, which is paramount to them establishing healthy living techniques that last a lifetime.”