MAY/JUNE

oral health care screenings, nutritional and dietary education
for all ages, and advice and guidance on proper oral health care
management. In addition, the group acquired the funding and
supplies necessary to provide dental goodie bags with toothbrushes,
floss and tooth paste, and was able to demonstrate proper dental
techniques and encourage implementation of the learned
techniques. A plethora of dental educational pamphlets (in both
Vietnamese and English) were also handed out in order to further
education and awareness at home.
For children in the community, the honors team assembled
age appropriate activity booths to provide awareness of how to
maintain proper oral hygiene, proper flossing techniques, dietary
evaluations, mouthwash counseling and oral screenings, all upon
consent from parents. These activities were completed through
various games and coloring activities to make the information
more palatable to children.
Fraser, Williams and Ma hope this new project will continue
to serve the Philadelphia Vietnamese community long after their
graduation. Their intimate collaboration with the VUH illustrates
how Penn Dental encourages students to be involved with
interdisciplinary health care to serve surrounding neighborhoods.
Their project also serves as an example of how Penn Dental supports
strengthening the ties among current students, Penn alumni and
communities in need.
The team was recently recognized for their efforts and
collaboration with Dr. Do in the Penn Dental Medicine Journal.
The article highlighted Dr. Do and how the program acknowledged
and benefitted the Vietnamese population of Philadelphia. In the
end, the team developed a greater appreciation for working with
underserved populations and the cultural nuances associated
with dentistry in the Vietnamese community. During 2015, the
group had 12 events, which screened on average roughly 100
people per event. Working alongside Dr. Do has taught them an
invaluable lesson in patient communication and management.
While Fraser, Ma and Williams’ senior community honors projected
was completed in June of 2015, they continue to volunteer for the
VUH and have even passed down the project to three current
juniors at Penn Dental. In addition, a Vietnamese student dental
association was organized at Penn that regularly sends volunteers
to support the efforts of the senior community honors project.
The team hopes that the connection established between the
VUH and Penn Dental will continue to serve the Vietnamese
population of Greater Philadelphia in times to come.
Corresponding Author: Andrew Fraser, University of Pennsylvania School
of Dental Medicine, 240 South 40th Street, Philadelphia PA 19104-6030
afrase@dental.upenn.edu, (978)-877-0817
LEFT: Travis Williams conducting
an oral cancer screening.
RIGHT: Henry Ma conducting an oral
cancer screening and demonstrating how
to test to fellow Penn Dental student.