Kenyan TV station covers school’s Global Initiatives program2 min read

Ann Arbor, Mich., March 12, 2020 – University of Michigan School of Dentistry students and faculty who recently provided dental care for school children in Kenya were featured in a report by a Kenyan television station.

Ten dental students, three dental hygiene students and two members of the school’s Internationally Trained Dentist Program went with two faculty members to Meru, Kenya, to spend their spring break week plus an additional week providing free oral healthcare. It is part of the dental school’s Global Initiatives in Oral and Craniofacial Health, which coordinates student service trips to several countries each year.

Working in teams with students from several other U-M health disciplines, the dental school students in Meru typically see an average of about 1,000 children during the two-week trip. The dental students provide oral exams along with instruction in healthy dietary habits, oral health and hygiene, such as showing children proper tooth-brushing methods. Depending on the condition of the children’s teeth, students and faculty may apply silver diamine fluoride, fluoride varnish or sealants to protect against caries. More serious problems are also identified and children are referred to local healthcare providers for more advanced treatment.

KTN News, a television station in Nairobi, visited the Meru school where the U-M dental students were working and created a six-minute news report. Dental school faculty members

Dr. Carlos González-Cabezas, Professor in the Department of Cariology, Restorative Sciences and Endodontics and Director of the Global Initiatives in Oral and Craniofacial Health program, and Dr. Robert Eber, Clinical Professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine and Director of Clinical Research, were interviewed by the television reporter. In describing the Global Initiatives goals and activities, the report showed U-M dental students interacting with children in clinic settings and other locations.

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The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation’s leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care and community service.  General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the school to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan.  Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia and public agencies.  Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide.  For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit us on the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.  Contact: Lynn Monson, associate director of communications, at [email protected], or (734) 615-1971.