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Tickling funny bones, helping teeth Photo by Jim Craven Bonnie Hansen uses a model and an oversized toothbrush to show children at Jewett Elementary School how to brush their teeth Friday. Hansen is a dental health consultant for the Oregon Health Division. Kids get giggles as they learn how to keep mouths healthy BY SUSAN JAY CENTRAL POINT -- Brushing his teeth is not Ollie Aeschbacher's idea of fun, but after Friday's experience, he said he'll be brushing more anyway. All of the 10-year-old's teeth turned a magenta color in class after he chewed a tiny tablet that left dye where plaque still stuck to his teeth. Bonnie Hansen gave him the tablet as part of her elementary school dental education program. She is a dental health consultant with the Oregon Health Division for Douglas, Jackson and Coos counties. This is her first time in Jackson County. She will be visiting schools in Medford, Eagle Point and White City over the next few months, offering dental prevention, oral health screenings and fluoride supplements. Aeschbacher was chosen for the tablet test because he said he couldn't remember when he last brushed his teeth. His classmates in Larry Holm's fifth-grade class busted up laughing when he turned around and gave a wide-open grin and his teeth almost glowed magenta. "Let's see, Ollie," one classmate squealed. "That's bad, Ollie," another classmate teased. "If we did this with every student, all of us would have some plaque in our mouth," Hansen said. To the students' credit, most said they try to brush every day, and they know a lot about the right kind of brushing. They know it's smart to brush one's tongue, the roof of the mouth and the gums, to scrub away lingering plaque. They also know to rinse their mouths with water when a toothbrush isn't handy. They didn't know, however, that a 16-ounce cup of Pepsi or Coke contains 16 teaspoons of sugar, and lots of acid that causes cavities. Hansen's presentation seemed a success. The kids laughed at her skit where she acted like a kid who didn't want to brush her teeth. And when she passed out free toothbrushes and toothpaste to each student, many immediately lined up at the classroom sink and started brushing -- without being asked. The dental prevention program is available to all schools. For more information, call Hansen at (541) 899-1248. In the oral health screenings she looks for decay and other problems, and helps kids sign up with the Oregon Health Plan if they need it to pay for dental care. For the fluoride program, she will be targeting schools that have a high percentage of students who receive free and reduced lunches. No city in Jackson County adds fluoride to public drinking water for cavity prevention. Hansen can distribute fluoride tablets to students who have parental consent, and can train parents or others involved at the school to distribute the tablets. The Medford School District doesn't have a formal dental prevention program. Teachers, however, can request the "Swish Swash" fluoride program, said Anne Westerman, district nurse. Teachers who request the program and receive parental permission from students order fluoride from Westerman and the kids swish with it once a week. "I think it's great if it can identify kids with problems," Westerman said of Hansen's help. "When there are three nurses for 18 schools, it's a little difficult." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA