Engaging Young Minds in Dentistry
On September 17, 2024, Lolinda Turner, Director of Student Success and Engagement, and Julia Orr, Administrative Assistant at Pacific Northwest University School of Dental Medicine, had the pleasure of attending the STEM like ME explore program at Finely Middle School in Kennewick, WA.
Lolinda and Julia demonstrated to 60 seventh and eighth graders how science plays a vital role in dentistry by demonstrating how alginate (impression material) and sealants are placed in the dental office. Students were allowed to mix the alginate and take impressions of toy animals, which allowed them to visually see the texture change of the alginate as it began to harden.
Students then were allowed to place sealants on a typodont (teeth model) with dental instruments and see how a UV light hardens the material. Lolinda and Julia educated the participants on how sealants are vital in protecting their newly erupted molars and the importance of brushing and flossing daily.
We would like to thank Deb Bowen, Heather Tibbett, Cristen Yurkoski from STEM like ME, and Mr. Hayfield from Finely Middle School, Kennewick, for inviting PNWU-SDM to be a part of this wonderful event.