Dentists’ annual visit to Osan Air Base aims to relieve children’s fears

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea – Dental clinic staff recently visited schoolchildren on this installation south of Seoul to assuage fears and encourage good dental hygiene.

Dentists and support staff talked to more than 500 students at Osan Elementary School on Feb. 28, as part of National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Dr. James Capers, a dentist and an Air Force captain, and dental staff taught the children how to properly brush and floss their teeth and showed a video about how to keep their teeth clean.

“I think the kids learned a lot and they seem to have a lot of fun,” Capers told Stars and Stripes.

Senior Airman Jacob Crider a Dental technician, with 51 Operational medical readiness squadron, said a visit by dental professionals may be the only opportunity children have to learn about dental health.

“They don't all get the same information at home. Maybe their parents don't teach them and show them how to properly do clean their teeth” he said. “It's good to get them in while they’re young and start good habits at a young age.”

Clinic staff also went over various food groups and their effect on children's teeth and gums while they passed around a clay mold set of teeth.

“I think outreach and prevention is one of our biggest things that we do as dentists,” Capers said. “And just being visible and letting them know that we are here for them, to try to alleviate some of those dental fears that are real, … to make their next visit a little bit more palatable.”

At the U.S. Army’s nearby Camp Humphreys, the largest U.S. military base overseas, the Carious Dental Treatment Facility provides dental care to all eligible command-sponsored children under age 12.

At Osan, the school nurse said the annual visit by dental staff has another benefit.

“I think events like this are extremely important because they allow students to see health professionals in a different setting,” said nurse Lisa Shamburg. “In a fun and interactive way, it can make the students more comfortable with different types of health professionals. And then it can also encourage students to go home and talk about certain health issues with their parents or their family, which can get more than waiting for frontal involvement.”

green.christopher@stripes.com Twitter: @ChrisJGreen8