Canadore College’s Dental Hygiene students will be working alongside registered dental hygienists to provide free oral care this Saturday. The Gift from the Heart initiative is a nation-wide campaign focused on delivering services to members of the public who are under-serviced, neglected, without dental insurance, or on a fixed income.
Dental hygiene professor Claire Barker says what’s in your mouth says a lot about your overall health. She says oral health plays an important part in being able to detect early signs and symptoms to some of the most dangerous diseases. Barker says visiting a dental hygienist regularly can save lives. The campaign was founded in the spirit of registered dental hygienists giving back to the community at no cost.
Almost 30 second and third-year dental hygiene students, staff and faculty are volunteering with a local dentist and 10 registered dental hygienists from the community in order to provide free services to 20 pre-booked clients. Things get underway at 9:00am on Saturday, and run until 1:00pm in the Dental Hygiene Clinic at Canadore.