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PORTLAND, Maine

UNE dental students receive grant for Tooth Fairies on the Ferry program

The Tooth Fairies recently rode the ferry to Harpswell Community Island School to present oral health information to elementary
The Tooth Fairies recently rode the ferry to Harpswell Community Island School to present oral health information to elementary school students. L-R: founding members Amber Gelinas, Ray Thomas, Thanh Huynh and Lynne Cataldo

A University of New England oral health outreach group, Tooth Fairies on the Ferry, has landed a $1,000 grant from the America's ToothFairy: National Children's Oral Health Foundation.

Launched in October 2015 by third-year dental students Lynne Cataldo, Amber Gelinas, Ray Thomas and Thanh Huynh, and senior dental hygiene student Brittani Roussel, the project enables the dental students to visit with elementary school students twice per semester to deliver oral health goody bags, increase health literacy and prevent the societal, personal and economic consequences of poor oral health.

In addition to the dental students, two Accelerated B.S.N. students, Issabella Garion and Alexandra LaClair, volunteer to help teach the oral health lessons to the children.

The project was made possible through a UNE IPEC Mini-grant (2015-2016) and with the support of Rebecca Carr, M.P.H., assistant director of Community Based Education, and Kris Hall, M.F.A., program coordinator at the Center for Excellence in Interprofessional Education. Oakhurst dairy, The Natural Dentist and Save-A-Tooth also have graciously donated supplies.

Since the Tooth Fairies have started, they have delivered oral health goody bags and nutrition/hygiene education to more than one hundred children.

The group’s next visit planned is to the Portland Boys and Girls club on February 16 for Children’s Oral Health month. To learn how you can volunteer, please contact Lynne Cataldo (dcataldo@une.edu).

Tooth Fairies presenting to Harpswell Community Island School children

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.