Working

Suzette Naylor, RDH, BA

After 18 years as a clinical dental hygienist, health problems forced Suzette Naylor, RDH, BA, to seek a new career path. She found her niche at the REACH Community Health Foundation in Massachusetts. "Since September 2003, I have designed and implemented an oral health initiative called Healthy Smiles, which reaches 3,000 children every year in 10 northern Berkshire schools." The foundation falls under the umbrella of Northern Berkshire Healthcare, the parent corporation of the region's health care system.

From an early age, Naylor knew she'd work in a health care field. "I have always been a 'people person' and loved science," she explains. "Dental hygiene offered flexibility, one-on-one relationships with patients, and an excellent salary for someone with an associate in science two-year degree."

In 1981, Naylor received her associate in science degree in dental hygiene from Springfield Technical Community College in Massachusetts. In recent years, she has received a bachelor of arts degree from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and teacher certification from the Massachusetts Department of Education. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in education.

For nearly two decades, Naylor worked as a clinical dental hygienist in both general and periodontal practices. She was sad to see her clinical experience come to an end. "I miss the truly great people that I worked with and cared for every day."

Naylor served as president of the Wachusett Component of the Massachusetts Dental Hygienists' Association and, for 12 years, as chairman of National Dental Health Month. She implemented a Dental Health Month program in which volunteer dental hygienists visited local Head Start classrooms to provide oral health education. "It all began when a patient of mine asked if I could visit one classroom-and then there were 27 more!" Her current position is program manager of Healthy Smiles for the REACH Community Health Foundation.

Healthy Smiles offers age-appropriate oral health awareness programs to children from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Topics covered range from the role of sugar in cavity formation to the effects of smoking and oral piercing. "I spend about one hour per class and like to have an interactive or hands-on activity that keeps their interest," Naylor says. "The challenge is finding creative ways to present oral health information to school-age children." Apparently, she is up to the challenge: one teacher enthused, "[Ms. Naylor] kept the children engaged at all times. I would love to have her come back."

This year, to celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month, each school in the program received a basket full of oral health materials such as books, lesson plans, and a Freddy Flossasaurus teaching puppet. According to Naylor, these resources are designed to encourage teachers to continue promoting oral health after Healthy Smiles has visited the school.

Dental screenings and follow-up are another important element of Healthy Smiles. Last spring, the program conducted 860 dental screenings, nearly a quarter of which identified children with possible cavities. Each family received a written report and follow-up call to ensure that the child visited a dentist. Naylor is excited that Healthy Smiles will soon bring dental sealants to low-income and uninsured schoolchildren. The work will be performed during normal school hours by dentists and dental hygienists using portable equipment.

Community outreach is the final component of the Healthy Smiles program. Naylor works with family-focused organizations to promote oral health, discussing issues such as baby-bottle tooth decay, healthy snacks, and the need for regular dental checkups. In addition, she has appeared on radio and public-access TV talking about oral health.

Naylor is pleased with the change in direction her career has taken. "I think the biggest reward for me is to be able to continue to make significant contributions to the profession of dental hygiene and to be able to use over 20 years of dental hygiene knowledge and experience-and newly acquired educator skills-to increase awareness of oral health for the people of this region." She says that the rewards of the program come to her in many forms. "But most importantly, they come as comments from parents that their child's oral hygiene has significantly improved as a result of my education program." Naylor is grateful to the generous benefactors who have donated curriculum ideas, books, and even sealant material to her program.

Naylor firmly believes that it is more important than ever for dental hygienists to devote their time and talents to educating children about good oral health and providing preventive services to underserved children and adults. "As both a parent and an educator, I believe that we must demonstrate to our children the value of community service so that it will be embedded in them no matter what profession they choose."

To learn more about Healthy Smiles, visit www.nbhealth.org/REACH/healthysmiles.asp.

This edition of Working was prepared by Julie Edwards