web1_TTL020218Nanticoke-V-Dallas4.jpg

H.S. Boys Basketball: Nanticoke Area wins wild one over Dallas

web1_coopercmyk.jpg

Family of Luzerne County prison-suicide victim planning lawsuit

<p>PLAINS TWP. &#8212; Healthy eating and healthy smiles go hand-in-hand.</p><p>That&#8217;s why a program designed to teach area youth about good oral hygiene included dental-care goodies distributed in lunchboxes resembling a wholesome snack.</p><p>Second- and third-graders across the Wilkes-Barre Area School District brushed up on their dental hygiene knowledge Thursday with the help of the Benco Family Foundation, a project of Pittston-based Benco Dental.</p><p>&#8220;Our foundation helps support access to dental care and dental health projects and programs across the country,&#8221; said Rebecca Binder, executive director of the Benco Family Foundation. &#8220;It&#8217;s important because everybody deserves to have access to good, high-quality dental care.&#8221;</p><p>In partnership with the Maryland-based Children&#8217;s Oral Health Institute and dental students from the University of Pennsylvania, Benco screened two &#8220;Peanuts&#8221; films about proper brushing and flossing techniques, and donated 1,100 lunchboxes with nutritional information.</p><p>Those lunchboxes, with information in English, Spanish, and braille, contained a plastic carrot filled with a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, and a rinse cup to encourage kids to take care of their teeth and eat foods that are good for oral health.</p><p>&#8220;We hope that we&#8217;re getting kids to think about their teeth at a young age,&#8221; Binder added.</p><p>Dr. Winifred J. Booker, CEO of The Children&#8217;s Oral Health Institute, led the presentation and explained the effectiveness of the lunchboxes.</p><p>&#8220;When should you brush your teeth? After you eat,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;So we take the opportunity to educate them right after they eat when they should brush and floss.&#8221;</p><p>Reinforcing the connection between nutrition and oral hygiene was a key theme of &#8220;Lessons in a Lunchbox.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We want them to eat healthy, so we put the dental care in a carrot, which is something that will interest them in brushing and encourage them to brush after meals,&#8221; Booker added.</p><p>But the message was not only directed at young people.</p><p>&#8220;As soon as kids get their first two teeth, parents should introduce them to cleaning and brushing teeth,&#8221; Booker said. &#8220;At least by the age of 6, you want them to have developed some independence in terms of brushing and flossing, and that&#8217;s why we created this program.&#8221;</p><p>Local educators expressed optimism the effort will have a lasting impact on the young audience.</p><p>&#8220;I thought this was a wonderful program that taught students the importance of dental health, but in a fun and creative way,&#8221; said Sean Flynn, principal of Solomon Plains Elementary School.</p><p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s a benefit not only now in their early lives, making sure that they have proper dental habits, but moving forward in their lives, it&#8217;s going to be even better as they get older,&#8221; Flynn said.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth1-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jake Crawford, 7, looks at himself in a mirror given to him as part of a dental health education program Thursday at Solomon Plains Elementary School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth1-5.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jake Crawford, 7, looks at himself in a mirror given to him as part of a dental health education program Thursday at Solomon Plains Elementary School. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth5-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Xander Webb, 7, shows his classmate items in his lunchbox kit for dental health. The kits were distributed to each second- and third-grade student in all Wilkes-Barre Area schools under a program sponsored by the Benco Family Foundation in conjunction with the Maryland-based Children&#8217;s Oral Health Institute and dental students from the University of Pennsylvania. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth5-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Xander Webb, 7, shows his classmate items in his lunchbox kit for dental health. The kits were distributed to each second- and third-grade student in all Wilkes-Barre Area schools under a program sponsored by the Benco Family Foundation in conjunction with the Maryland-based Children&#8217;s Oral Health Institute and dental students from the University of Pennsylvania. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth3-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penn University dental student Jasmine Faldu talks with Savannah Burney and Hendrix MacDougal, both 7, about proper tooth care. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth3-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Penn University dental student Jasmine Faldu talks with Savannah Burney and Hendrix MacDougal, both 7, about proper tooth care. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth4-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dr. Winifred Booker, CEO of the Maryland-based Children&#8217;s Oral Health Institute, talks with students at Solomon Plains Elementary School about good oral hygiene. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth4-5.jpg</photo3><caption3>Dr. Winifred Booker, CEO of the Maryland-based Children&#8217;s Oral Health Institute, talks with students at Solomon Plains Elementary School about good oral hygiene. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth6-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Aiman Aslam, a third-year dental student at the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrates the proper way to brush your teeth for Wilkes-Barre Area students at Solomon Plains Elementary School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth6-5.jpg</photo4><caption4>Aiman Aslam, a third-year dental student at the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrates the proper way to brush your teeth for Wilkes-Barre Area students at Solomon Plains Elementary School. </caption4><photoCredit4>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth2-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Guinivere McCurdy and Anna Cielski, both 7, look at the dental hygiene kits which were given to each second- and third-grade student in all Wilkes-Barre Area schools Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_TTL020218Tooth2-5.jpg</photo5><caption5>Guinivere McCurdy and Anna Cielski, both 7, look at the dental hygiene kits which were given to each second- and third-grade student in all Wilkes-Barre Area schools Thursday. </caption5><photoCredit5>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta></subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Katherine Pugh</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

Benco Dental brings hygiene program to Wilkes-Barre Area students