On Tuesday (18/10), FKG UGM conducted the closing ceremony and inauguration of "Dental Health Cadres" as part of its Community Service program at SLB N 1 Bantul, Yogyakarta. This initiative was led by the Pediatric Dentistry Specialist Program in collaboration with the Dental Hygiene Program under the auspices of the Faculty of Dentistry at UGM, with the theme "A Hero Triangle" as a Pioneer in Empowering Teachers and Parents of Special Needs Children in Dental and Oral Health Care. This initiative follows the learning process of FKG students (especially the Pediatric Dentistry Specialist Program and Dental Hygiene Program) on "Oral cavity care for children with special needs" under the guidance of Dr. drg. Indah Titien S, S.U., Sp.KGA, K-AIBK.
Previously, the activities commenced on 8 September 2022 and continued with training and educational sessions on dental and oral health conducted three times by educators from the students and faculty members of the Pediatric Dentistry Specialist Program and Dental Hygiene Program. Training sessions took place on 15, 22, and 29 September 2022, utilizing innovative and interactive teaching aids, beginning with a Pretest to assess the level of dental and oral health knowledge. At the end of the training activities on 6 October 2022, a Posttest was administered to all prospective cadres, alongside the formation of the leadership structure of "A Hero Triangle" and the formulation of the Community Dental Health Service Program (UKGS) at SLBN 1 Bantul for the upcoming year.
The event commenced with performances by students of SLB N 1 Bantul, including dances (by autistic, deaf, hard of hearing, and intellectually disabled students), poetry readings (by visually impaired students), and singing (by visually impaired students), followed by a screening of the "Red and White Toothbrushing Technique" video presented by the Pediatric Dentistry Department, accompanied by a toothbrushing demonstration with faculty members and students of the Pediatric Dentistry Specialist Program.
Through the three-stage implementation of 'A Hero Triangle,' this initiative successfully recruited 50 cadres within the school community, involving 15 teachers, 15 students, and 20 parents. "Through the formation of these cadres, we hope to contribute to fostering independence in the SLB N 1 Yogyakarta community concerning dental health for children with special needs," said Leny Pratiwi Arie Sandy, S.Kp.G., MD.Sc, as the coordinator of the event.
Mr. Basuki, M.Pd., attended the event, representing the Head of the Education Department of DIY, drg. Tri Wahyuni, MPH, representing the Bantul Health Office; Dr. Yudhi Hapsari, Head of Puskesmas Kasihan 2 Bantul; Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry UGM, drg. Suryono, Ph.D., S.H., MM, and the Vice-Dean for Research, Community Service, and Student Affairs, drg. Triana Wahyu Utami, MDSc., Ph.D.; Prof. dr. Sunartini, Sp.A(K), Ph.D., as a lecturer at FKKMK (Consultant in Pediatric Neurology) and supervisor of the Pediatric Dentistry Specialist students at SLBN 1 Bantul.
Opening the event, Mr. Basuki, M.Pd., stated, "In my opinion, this event is unparalleled. We thank the Faculty of Dentistry UGM for educating our teachers, parents, and children. Hopefully, this will inspire us to focus not only on skills but also on health, especially dental and oral health."
In alignment with this sentiment, the Bantul Health Office also said, "Such activities have the potential to be developed further. We hope these trainings can be implemented to enhance parental support and environmental capacity, thereby preventing dental and oral diseases."
During this occasion, the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry UGM, drg. Suryono, M.H., had the opportunity to symbolically inaugurate the 'A Hero Triangle' cadres by presenting a cadre pin to Sukma Dwi Monica, a student with the highest score during the training.
"I feel proud and happy to be here today and to meet parents, teachers, and extraordinary students. In his speech, " I extend my tremendous thanks to the Education Department, the local government, and SLB N 1 Bantul," said the Dean of FKG UGM.
"I would like to thank FKG UGM for the training activities. I am glad to learn about dental health," said Sukma Dwi Monica (representing class B/hearing impaired students), who had the opportunity to share her thoughts on the event, albeit haltingly. In addition to Sukma, Ms. Asih, representing the teachers and serving as Chair of the 'A Hero Triangle' Cadres, also outlined the UKGS program for the next year following the cadre formation.
"The A Hero Triangle program at SLBN 1 Bantul is expected to become a Pilot Project for the formation of Dental and Oral Health Cadres for Children and individuals with special needs to promote Dental Health Education (DHE), aiming to reduce the prevalence of dental and oral health disorders among children and individuals with special needs in Indonesia," said Dr. drg. Indra Bramanti, Sp.KGA (K), M.Sc., Head of the Pediatric Dentistry Specialist Program. By activating these three components - teachers, parents, and children - we hope to achieve greater independence in children's dental and oral health matters.
