羞羞视频 Dental Faculty, Student Volunteer at Senior Fair

Senior citizens received dental tips, resources, and clinic information

  • IL - Downers Grove
  • MWU Clinics
Dr. Durso, Dr. Williams, and dental student William Boensch in white coats in front of their booth at the Senior Fair in Lemont.

(From left): August Durso, D.D.S., Assistant Professor, CDMI; Larry Williams, D.D.S., M.P.H., Professor, CDMI; and CDMI dental student William Boensch (CDMI 鈥27) offer information and advice at the Senior Fair in Lemont. 
 

College of Dental Medicine - Illinois (CDMI) faculty Larry Williams, D.D.S., M.P.H., Professor, CDMI; August Durso, D.D.S., Assistant Professor, CDMI, and CDMI dental student William Boensch (CDMI 鈥27) provided dental information, shared resources, and answered questions from senior citizens at the Senior Fair in Lemont, Illinois. The Senior Fair was hosted by Illinois Senator John Curran and State Representative Nicole La Ha at the CORE Fitness Center in Lemont, and featured the participation of 75 service providers and local organizations. 鈥淲e actually did get to speak with both the senator and the state representative and thank them for inviting us to participate,鈥 Dr. Durso said. 

William Boensch (CDMI 鈥27) added, 鈥淲hat I鈥檒l take away most from this Senior Health Fair is the conversations I was able to have with the seniors. As a dentist, one of your roles is to communicate with your patients. I was able to practice my communication skills with those who I interacted with in order to better prepare myself for my future patients.鈥    

鈥淭he fair was a great resource for the senior community. We were one of over 70 participants providing information on everything from blood pressure, screening, utility questions, nutrition, and safety in the home,鈥 Dr. Durso stated. 鈥淲e've participated for the last two years, providing various information about the dental health and services provided at the 羞羞视频 Dental Institute. There were even questions from people about their own dental conditions.鈥 The Dental Institute provides care to the community from student dentists under the supervision of licensed dental faculty and offers several services including general dentistry, dental restorations, and oral surgery.

Dr. Durso in a white coat shares information at the booth with attendees standing in line.
Dr. Durso shows attendees how to use the easy grip tool to assist them brushing their teeth. The tool assists patients with conditions such as arthritis and limited mobility. 

Throughout the day the conversations with the senior citizens began with inquiries from the dentists and student dentist. 鈥淲e would ask them if they were actually seeing a dentist at this time to make sure that they were taking good care of their oral health,鈥 Dr. Durso said. Dr. Williams elaborated, 鈥淚t was surprising to some of the people that we're talking about systemic health. We're talking about how things are so much better for your body if you take good care of your mouth.鈥 Dr. Williams continued and stated that they also talked to the participants about the amount of sugar in milkshakes, sodas, with a visual aid of sugar cubes. They advised the attendees about avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and the importance of regular exercise, Dr. Williams said and added that they also gave supplemental advice to attendees who cannot be active due to health and disabilities. He reflected on the experience, 鈥淚t was very evident that there was a need for us to be there.鈥

After visiting the 羞羞视频 table, attendees received bags that contained dental floss, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a brochure with information about services and scheduling appointments at the 羞羞视频 Dental Institute. Commonly asked questions from the attendees included treatment costs, insurance acceptance and coverage of treatment, and nutrition questions, Dr. Durso said. They also provided information about nutrition, healthy food, and food with hidden sugar, Dr. Durso shared.

Dr. Williams and Dr. Durso also discussed the importance of students participating in volunteer work during their academic journeys. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely important to expose students to community service and volunteer. They need to understand there鈥檚 a need out there and they have to go where the people are,鈥 Dr. Williams said. 

Dr. Durso echoed, 鈥淭hey have to be able to communicate with people and tell them why they鈥檙e proposing treatment. It'll give the students the confidence and the knowledge that as a dentist, they can have an impact on the health of their chosen community just by providing this information and being there to answer the questions of the people that are coming,鈥 he said. Dr. Durso continued, 鈥淭hey need to get out there in the community, go to schools, go to these health fairs, and go on a mission trip or two and just kind of meet these people and see what the needs are. It's hard to treat people if you don't know what they actually need.鈥

As a dental student, William concurred and reflected, 鈥淭he main way in which volunteer work adds future healthcare experience is from the communication aspect. It can take some time to effectively converse with someone, but with practice, it gets easier. Volunteering will help you practice those basic communication skills that are needed when attending to your patients.鈥 

Volunteer events such as providing information about dental medicine, oral health, clinic services, and a variety of other topics are among the ways 羞羞视频 faculty and students share their healthcare expertise and help the community manage their healthcare and seek treatment when necessary. A plethora of healthcare services are available for the community to receive the care they need at the 羞羞视频 Clinics.  

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