GVSU Public Health Partners with Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures for Oral Health Advancements in Grand Rapids, MI

In collaboration with Grand Rapids Public Schools, and Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF), and community dental partners, Grand Valley State University Public Health facilitated a collaboration to offer free dental screenings, treatment referrals, oral health, health education, oral care kits, visual screenings, and dental report cards to four elementary schools in the greater Grand Rapids, MI area. In conjunction with the free dental screening services, elementary students were also invited to complete activities connected to the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. With the purpose of connecting the 8 Dimensions of Wellness and oral health. Volunteer positions serving the wellness stations and runner/oral health screening assistants were proctored by 1-2 facilitators identified as health professions graduate students. In preparation for the wellness stations, facilitators were asked to complete the 8 Dimensions of Wellness Facilitator Toolkit and watch a training video. After completion of the Colgate BSBF event, facilitators were asked to complete a 15-question Qualtrics survey related to their experience at the event. In total there were 18 participants included in the sample. The toolkit, a public health education tool used to improve oral health behavior, served as a guide; facilitators were encouraged to adjust their teaching style as they saw fit. Some emerging themes were educational adjustments based on age group, size of the group, and time constraints. Overall, 76.4% rated their experience at the event serving as an educational facilitator as either high quality or very high quality as well as, 76.4% finding that the wellness stations were moderately to very effective in connecting the 8 Dimensions of Wellness to oral health. Before the BSBF event 43.8% of facilitators had a somewhat above or far above average knowledge of the 8 Dimensions of Wellness. After the event, this percentage rose to 93.8%.



Page last modified March 19, 2023