The Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences and Welcome Hall Mission joined forces to host an oral health awareness event on May 4 at Tyndale St-Georges Community Center in Little Burgundy. Over 40 families from the area and members of the community centre took part. The event featured four stations on oral cancer awareness, an oral cancer self-detecting tips workshop, best oral hygiene practices, and nutritional guidance for maintaining healthy teeth. The oral health awareness event was organized by a team of DMD and graduate students from the Faculty under the supervision of Dr. Firoozeh Samim, Chair of the Faculty’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee, and coordinated by Audrey Mvibudulu-Feruzi, EDI Outreach Administrator, and Dr. Aia Naksho, MSc Dental Sciences student and Vice President Social of the McGill Dental Graduate Students Society.
The participants had the opportunity to interact with dental professionals and gain valuable insights into maintaining proper oral hygiene. Engaging demonstrations on effective brushing and flossing practices, as well as advice on diet and lifestyle choices to promote oral health, were provided by the dedicated oral health awareness day team. Educational materials, brochures, and pamphlets were distributed to further enhance the attendees' understanding of oral care and overall well-being. The team distributed packages of healthy food, refreshments, and oral health supplies to each family and provided valuable information on available services, prevention measures, and treatment options, contributing to the event’s reach and demonstrating the students’ commitment to effecting positive change in the field of oral health.
“This event was a great success and I hope to see more collaborations with Tyndale St-Georges Community Center in the future,” says Eric Krochmalnek, second-year DMD student and Vice President Health and Wellness of the Dental Students Society. “I take great pride in our fantastic outreach programs at McGill, and hope we continue to expand to offer every individual in our community access to quality dental care."
“Promoting oral health awareness is extremely important for us as McGill students” says Dr. Naksho. “We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity as it allowed to help raise awareness of oral cancer and oral health among low-income communities in Montreal.”