Pre-Dental Club helping kids to smile

Pratibha Gautam The Troy Pre-Dental Club is planning the Apple-Smile Project, to educate younger students about dental hygiene and healthy eating at Pike Liberal Arts School, according to James Massey. Massey, a junior biomedical sciences major from Destin, Florida, and the president of the Pre-Dental Club, explained that members of the club will begin teaching K-4 students, starting Feb. 15. The members of the club are planning to take different dental hygiene items including toothbrushes and flosses along with different healthy snacks for students and teach them basic oral hygiene maintenance. According to Peyton Henderson, a junior biomedical sciences major from Dothan, Alabama,and the treasurer of the club, they will be focusing on correct brushing techniques and the importance of flossing. “(This is) stuff that I wish I had learned in second grade,” Massey said. According to Rheannon Prim, a sophomore biomedical sciences major from Marbury and the vice president of the club, they expect to have 32 K-4 kids. According to Massey, the club is trying to make this an interactive learning experience for the kids with coloring sheets and healthy snack packs. Janet Gaston, a professor in the biology department and faculty adviser to the Pre-Dental Club has helped arrange the project by communicating with Pike Liberal Arts School. Some of the material comes from Dr. K. Allen Blackmon, a dentist located in Troy. The club also plans to take the project to Head Start later this semester. While the Pre-Dental Club has been around for a couple of years, it has not seen much activity until now. According to Massey, it has been a year since the club started getting new members again. “We now have 10 members in the club, which, for us, is a lot,” Massey said. Besides connecting with the community, the members of the club help each other prepare for a career in dentistry. “(We want to) help our members grow to the point where they can be accepted into dental school and do what they love,” Massey said. “We really hope that if we get the ball rolling with these service projects, we can potentially do more than the service projects,” Prim said. The club expects about 10 participants from Troy and is still open to interested members. According to Prim, the club is good for people who are interested in dentistry even if they are only exploring the idea.