The Rotary Club of Woodbridge, brought the Brush-A-Mania program to Monsignor Fee Otterson Elementary and Junior High School in SW Edmonton, thanks to our new Member Dr. Gina Agbulu!
REPORT OF BRUSH-A-MANIA 2023 IN EDMONTON, ALBERTA (The event took place in the Monsignor Fee Otterson Elementary and Junior High School, SW Edmonton on the 18th of April 2023.) A) AGENDA 9.50 am – Facilitators assemble in the school premises and meet with school authorities. 10. 00 am – Brief introduction to the students of the events and the dentist, DR Simi Aderibigbe – Gina Agbulu. 10.05 am – DR Simi’s talk / demo etc 10.40 am – Q & A – DR Simi 10.56 am – last comments / announcements - Gina Agbulu 10.58am - Vote of thanks (the principal, Mr Patrick Lema or his representative) 11.00 am – Close. B) In attendance were: i) The visiting team - DR Regina Agbulu (RC Woodbridge) - DR Simi Aderibigbe, the dentist - DR Paul Agbulu (guest of Dr Agbulu) - Lady Tundun (guest of Dr Aderibigbe) ii) The Principal, Mr Patrick Lema iii) The Teachers and Students fondly referred to as “Otters” C) The visiting team started with introductions to the school principal, MR Patrick Lema at about 9.55am. The principal then showed the team to the 2 meeting hall and set up the podium for us. At about 10.00 am, the excited children ϐiled in respectfully and sat on the ϐloor of the meeting hall. The team exchanged pleasantries with the teachers as the students ϐiled in. (The vice principal was co-opted to take pictures of the occasion after permission was taken from the principal.) The event started with introductions by the principal which included a reminder for the Otters to listen attentively in order to know how to take care of their adult dentition which they will keep for life which is different from their milk teeth. This was followed by a brief speech by DR Regina Agbulu which incorporated the origin of Brush-a-mania, a program to promote Oral health, initiated by DR Raffy Chouljian (RC Scarborough Passport, Ontario) about 21 years ago. She also added the sponsors of this ϐirst epoch making event in Alberta was the RC of Woodbrigde, Ontario. Dr Agbulu then proceeded to introduce the dentist, DR Simi Aderibigbe. Dr Simi Aderibigbe gave a very interactive, enthralling, and brilliant presentation which the Otters thoroughly enjoyed. She mentioned three key issues involved in dental care namely: 1) Healthy diet and drinks with real life examples of these. 2) Good teeth brushing technique twice in the day with at least one ϐlossing session in the day. (The ϐirst teeth brushing session is ideally after breakfast while the last session is last thing at night.) The dentist advised for circular brushing motions above the gum line, in the front and behind the rows of teeth as well as the tongue and roof of the mouth. The circular motions over the teeth should take an average of two minutes with a pea sized portion of toothpaste being used for the whole mouth. The demonstration was done on mascots that she had come with. 3) At least an annual visit to the dentist. She concluded with a q&a session with the Otters asking questions like: a) Can we brush our teeth when they are wriggly ie the milk teeth are beginning to fall off? Yes, but gently. b) How long did it take to be a dentist? Students were encouraged to read dentistry in the University after senior high school. c) Can I ϐloss more than once a day? Yes 3 d) How long did DR Aderibigbe practise dentistry? About 20 years. DR Agbulu concluded with announcements for Otters to give a resounding thank you to DR Simi Aderibigbe as well as remind their parents to log onto the Brush-a-mania website and enter the competition to win very cool prizes eg Nintendo. The principal ended with a thank you note and reassurance that the Otters will get their souvenirs in their classrooms for better crowd control. He also added that he will send the information to their parents. (The principal sent an email conϐirming that the excited Otters had received their souvenirs and that the information for the parents had also been sent to them.) As the excited Otters departed to their classrooms, the principal and the team took pictures and while exchanging some light banter about a possible visit for next year, Mr Patrick Lema informed us that he would be retiring this year to which the team wished him a very happy retirement. By 10.50 am, the event was over, and we all departed. On behalf of the RC Woodbrigde, I wish to sincerely thank the Principal, Staff and the Otters of the Monsignor Fee Otterson Elementary and Junior High School for the kind reception. I also wish to thank DR Simi Aderibigbe for her brilliant delivery and the members of our team for their support. Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to the President (Prof E. Abara) and members of the RC Woodbridge for the sponsorship and the opportunity given me to serve. DR Regina Agbulu Member, RC Woodbrigde