North State Parent September 2019

this is tehama By Kate Hiller
THIS IS TEHAMA
The ancient word “Tehama” once meant a place where rivers could be crossed.
With our county’s rich currents of history, happenings and hope, this is our
crossing place today — where we meet to celebrate our beautiful Tehama County.
HITTING THE ROAD:
IMPROVING ORAL HEALTH IN
RURAL TEHAMA COUNTY
The goal to brighten smiles in Tehama
County has been gaining momentum
over the past 15 years. February’s “Give
Kids a Smile Day,” put on by Tehama County Public
Health Advisory Board Dental Committee, represents
a collaborative effort of various organizations and
dental professionals. It has proven hugely successful
and annually serves children without access to dental
care in Red Bluff, CA. The focus going forward is to
improve preventative oral health care. Healthy teeth,
healthy children, healthy Tehama!
In 2017 the Tehama County Public Health Oral
Health Program was awarded a five-year grant funded
by Proposition 56, the tax on tobacco products.
The main goal of this grant is educating and empowering
all Tehama County community members to
improve their oral health, especially the vulnerable
populations, and increasing access to dental services
for everyone. In 2018 the Oral Health Program
completed a community survey to identify the dental
needs of residents and create an inventory of resources
required to meet those needs. The rural areas
identified for these needs are Los Molinos, Gerber,
Vina, Rancho Tehama and Manton.
Melvin Sage, DDS, now retired, was instrumental
in assisting the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians
to open the Rolling Hills Clinic in 2011 to offer quality
medical and dental services rurally. Rolling Hills
Clinic (www.rhclinic.org) now operates a Virtual
Dentistry Program which is a means for teledentistry—the
ability to gather information, complete dental
examinations, receive treatment plans from an
off-site dentist and then provide dental treatment
BABY TEETH ARE IMPORTANT
in locations other than the dental clinic. To further
increase access to dental services for their rural,
vulnerable populations, Rolling Hills Dental Clinic is
working on renovating a mobile dental van.
Tehama County’s Oral Health Program Coordinator,
Mary Jacobson, RDH, BS, reports that educational
outreach has been a fun collaboration
with many local agencies and dental professionals.
“Last spring,” she says, “to celebrate National Public
Health Week, staff traveled to Manton to provide Rural
Health Community Outreach to the children and
adults at the Manton Education Council. We taught
the importance of oral health and being tobacco-free
through hands-on activities, stories, a short play and
visits with Dandy the Smokeless Dragon and the Terrific
Tooth. Participants also learned how to establish
healthy habits. We all enjoyed a wonderful time.”
Similar outreaches have included reading events
at local libraries and training for staff at Head Start Centers.
Jacobson has enjoyed sharing “Tooth Story Times”
at the libraries in Corning and Red Bluff. Engaging very
young children with mouth cut-out pop-ups and “Sugar
Bug Doug,” a fun, educational skit, helps convey important
health messages to both children and adults.
Brenda Maember, RDH from Northern Valley Indian
Health Clinic, has been performing oral health
screenings at Head Start Sports Night and the Cinco
de Mayo event at the Corning Skate Park. She has
screened and educated approximately 400 people.
These fun, informative gatherings make a lasting impression
on children and adults, showing them the
importance of taking care of the teeth that are meant
to last them their lifetime.
Children need healthy teeth to chew and to speak clearly. Baby teeth make space for adult teeth.
Young children want to brush their teeth, but they need help. Give your child a healthy start!
“Total health begins with your smile” is a message
for everyone, across their lifespan. The next steps for
the program include counseling about a healthy diet,
limiting sugary drink consumption, encouraging tobacco
cessation, increasing use of dental sealants,
involving primary care medical providers in dental
care and finding effective ways to deliver dental care
to rural areas.
Parents, especially mothers, need to practice
good oral hygiene. Cavity-causing mouth bacteria
can be spread from parents to their children. Pregnant
women are at a higher risk for gum and tooth
disease, which may cause health problems for themselves
and their unborn child, including preterm
birth. Parents are the first teachers of good oral hygiene
practices such as tooth brushing and flossing.
Adults are encouraged to stop using tobacco products
as their use contributes to caries and increases
the risk of oral cancers.
The Rancho Tehama Association is looking forward
to seeing that dental van roll in, stating, “Rancho
Tehama has a diverse community of retirees and
families with children living a fair distance from any
services or shopping centers. Our drive to the closest
town could be as long as 30 miles. We are excited
to hear that in the future, a mobile oral health clinic
might be visiting our area, providing oral health
check-ups and work for our senior citizens and children.
This is a much-needed service that our community
would be so grateful for.”
These programs are still picking up momentum.
Soon they will reach their cruising speed and you
might see Dandy the Smokeless Dragon, Sugar Bug
Doug and the Terrific Tooth in your neighborhood
soon. Keep up your good oral hygiene and offer them
your biggest smile. Ó
• Brush your child's teeth twice a day,
after breakfast and before bed, and floss
once a day.
• Give your child healthy foods.
• Give your child fewer sweets; if you offer
occasional sweets or sugary drinks, do so
only at mealtime.
• Do not put your child to sleep with a bottle
filled with milk, juice, or sugary drinks like
fruit-flavored drinks or soda pop.
• Take your child to the dentist by their first
birthday.
Kate and her family are “adventureschoolers”
more than homeschoolers.
Back home in Red Bluff, while recouping
from their travels, Kate writes historical
fiction—her first novel is set in rural
Northern California. Contact Kate at
kate@northstateparent.com.
18 North State Parent • Serving Upper California Since 1993