 If you notice brighter smiles on the faces of Romig Middle School students, it is probably due to the school’s new partnership with Alaska Premier Dental. It all started when Kristine Masneri, a social worker at Romig, asked Dr. Aaron Wells from Alaska Premier Dental to help a student with particularly urgent dental needs. He was more than happy to provide this service at no charge, which is not a surprise since his dental group is known for local community service work and global medical missions.
The social workers at Romig were grateful for the help Alaska Premier Dental provided, and wondered if they could help their other students with dental needs. Before long, Kristine Masneri and dental assistants Christina Reimer and Heather Souza were enthusiastically formalizing a School Business Partnership agreement between Romig and Alaska Premier Dental Group.
As a result of this partnership, Dr. Aaron Wells and his dental assistants spent an entire day (their day off!) performing free dental screenings for students at Romig Middle School. A tremendous amount of effort went into this event. First, children with dental needs had to be identified. Permission slips (written in English, and then translated into Tagalog by Amelita Cadiz and Spanish by Sandra Eddington) had to be sent home. The staff at Alaska Premier Dental worked to get free hygiene items donated from their suppliers. Students were taught about dental careers and opportunities. Lifeline Cellular joined the event and promoted cell phones to needy families for $1 per month. In a single school day, Dr. Wells and his team accomplished the following
- 43 students were screened and received both educational and dental products.
- 26 students were found to need additional dental services and referrals.
- 16 students had cavities that needed to be filled.
- 3 students needed tooth extractions.
- 5 students needed root canals.
- 11 students had multiple dental needs.
- 1 student had never seen a dentist before.
- All parents were called about dental care that was needed and every student was sent home with a report of the dentist findings.
What an amazing feat to accomplish all of this in a single day! Many families that were served through this partnership had never been to a dentist, or didn’t know where to go for dental help. Thanks to this partnership, many students are now healthier. A team of true professionals came together to make the event a success: Romig social workers Kristine Masneri, Lisa Wilson, and Sandra Eddington; Romig Student Services, Special Education, and Administrative staff; and of course the Alaska Premier Dental staff of Dr. Aaron Wells and his dental assistants, Christina Reimer and Heather Souza.
Alaska Premier Dental went above and beyond the scope of normal community service: they were willing to meet the medical needs of these students at their school, where they are both accessible and comfortable. Thank you Alaska Premier Dental for your exemplary service! |
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Christina Reimers assists Dr. Aaron Wells examine a student. |
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