Student HDA Participates in Cinco de Mayo Celebration

This past Saturday, the Student Chapter of the Hispanic Dental Association from the University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry participated in the Cinco de Mayo Celebration in St. Paul.  This was the very first event for the Minnesota HDA Student Chapter that was founded recently by our President, Claire Mielke and Advisor, Dr. Michael Madden.  The event started bright and early at the Community Wellness Tent on Cesar Chavez Boulevard with the help of Dr. Madden, three dental students, Ben Ricks, Sarah Jorgenson, and Stanley Hutchison, one dental hygiene student, Cynthia Webb, and one pre-dental student, Gretchen Faile.  Lucy Hartel and her daughter Mary-Catherine braved the afternoon rain to join the event, allowing the morning shift to sample the numerous food vendors. 

At this event, over 350 toothbrushes, 350 toothpastes, and 200 floss samples donated by Rebecca Van Horn from Proctor and Gamble Crest were distributed along with oral health advice, information on dental health careers, pediatric dental hygiene tips, and the further information on our organization the Hispanic Dental Association.  In addition, over 50 clinic brochures for the school of dentistry were handed out to prospective patients interested in all fields of dentistry, including orthodontics and TMD.  Everybody improved in their Spanish vocabulary, but Stanley Hutchison impressed all participants with his fluency.

To help encourage conversation at our booth we requested that all individuals ask us one question related to their oral health or teeth before receiving our samples. The response to our simple request was outstanding.  We had numerous relevant questions ranging from how do you stop recession of gum tissue to how can I prevent my teeth from clenching at night?  There was great interest in our display, especially by the younger crowd.  The children were extremely excited to see that we had children’s samples and even educational brochures in Spanish for some of their school projects.  Even though the rain came down in the afternoon it did not dampen the enthusiasm of our participants.  The School of Dentistry booth was the last booth to be disassembled after Ben and Cynthia presented the last tube of toothpaste to the paramedics working the area.

The Minnesota Hispanic Dental Association is open for membership for all students, faculty, staff, and others interested in the Oral Health of Hispanic/Latino/Chicano community in Minnesota.  If you are interested in becoming a member, the forms can be found on the Hispanic Dental Association website www.hdassoc.org/.  Please email Dr. Madden at madde011@gold.tc.umn.edu or Claire Mielke at miel0055@umn.edu with any questions.

Written by Dr. Michael Madden and Sarah Jorgenson