Children’s Dental Program Gives Bikes Away to Santa Maria Students

Four bicycles were given away to lucky students on Tuesday at Miller Elementary School in Santa Maria. However, there was a bit of catch for the students to be eligible.

“Today at Miller School, we gave away two bicycles to a boy and girl in the first grade, and two bicycles to a boy and girl in the second grade,” said Joseph Mercardante, Dental Director, Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC). “In return, these students promised to brush their teeth three times a day and promised not to drink sodas,”

The bike giveaway was the culmination of a popular month-long program operated by CHC called Brush! Brush! Brush!

“Our program is designed to create lifelong healthy habits of oral hygiene and nutrition,” said Mercardante. “Six, seven and eight-year olds are at a point in life where they develop their lifelong learning habits. This is an opportunity for us to present dentistry in a fun environment, in a learning environment, where the children participate and have a good time.”

Available at 10 schools within the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, and two more in the Lucia Mar Unified School District, the Brush program is focused primarily on preventative measures children can learn to ensure long-term dental health.

“We come to various schools and we perform dental exams for children, clean their teeth, give them personalized oral hygiene tooth brushing instructions, place sealants on their teeth, use fluoride varnishes and give them tips on lifelong healthy habits on oral hygiene and nutrition,” said Mercardante.

Many times during the program, children will need to have further dental care than the program can provide in its mobile van.

“If we find that the child needs dental care, they’re referred to our clinics and they are able to receive care at no charge, as long as they have participated in our program,” said Mercardante.

One way students are motivated to participate is by offering the bicycle prize drawing at the end of the month-long program.

“We started giving the bikes away with the very first program (2010),” said Mercardante. “We’re now in our fifth year and last year we gave away approximately 55 bicycles.”

According to CHC, the Brush program averages about 160 students per school each month.

The company plans to expand the program to Lompoc in the near future.