“It’s like an educational, dental party!” Jessica Jones said of the upcoming event sponsored by United Way’s Youth Growth Stock Trust. When kids walk into the room, they’re greeted by a tooth fairy mascot, a superhero tooth mascot, and students distributing fresh produce from a fruit stand.
“A lot of the kids can’t wait to bite into an apple, or even bite into a pepper,” she chuckled. “They’re so excited to get their hands on something.”
The event starts with a momentum that Jones, a Dental Health Educator and full-time faculty member at Fayetteville Technical Community College, hopes will continue after the fun. Now in its third year, the fair continues to focus on prevention.
“If we can reach the kids and teach [them] at an earlier age in life, the habits tend to stick and grow with them through adulthood,” she said.
While the event is geared toward kids in pre-K through 5th grade, all ages are welcome. Kids start by receiving a goody bag and then visit a series of presentation stations that offer engaging activities. With a parent or guardian’s permission, they can get a plaque sample taken and analyzed under a microscope. They’ll learn about brushing, flossing, and proper nutrition — all practices that can help maintain dental health for a lifetime.
At each station, they participate in a short pre- and post-education quiz consisting of three simple questions. These questions solidify what they’ve learned, and help volunteers gauge whether their teaching strategies are working. Questions focus on topics like pH of beverages, tooth anatomy, oral bacteria, sugar bugs and oral care.
Jones shared data from past years indicating that the presentations shape the kid’s comprehension of dental health significantly. In 2022 they saw cavity formation awareness increase from 68% to 97% and plaque formation awareness increase from 52% to 87%. In 2023 they saw similar improvements: the pre and post-test results for the question, “What should you do after you drink an acidic drink?” saw scores jump from 65% to 87%. Jones anticipates those trends will continue at this year’s fair.
Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene students serve as volunteers and presenters at the fair and simultaneously get to fulfill required community outreach hours.
“It gives the students an opportunity to kind of step outside of their comfort zone and see in real-time the difference that they can make,” Jones shared.
She said that students seem to love interacting with the community, identifying needs, and putting their skills to use. Often, they didn’t know that the needs existed and consequently, walked away with a renewed sense of purpose in their work. Jones said that seeing their realization is touching.
In keeping with the event’s focus on community service, they will also highlight dental cleaning and x-ray appointments available at Fayetteville Tech’s Dental Clinic. Parents or guardians interested in scheduling an appointment can sign up for free at the fair, where the typical $5 fee will be waived.
According to Jones, parents seem to enjoy themselves just as much as the kids do. Visitors of all ages dancing with the mascots and posing in the 360 spinning photo booth last year confirmed that.
“My little one, at just three years old, enjoyed himself so much, and if I’m being honest, I did too,” was one parent’s perspective.
“There’s something for everybody,” Jones affirmed. “It’s a Saturday morning. It’s not too early, it’s not too late. Bring [your] little ones!”
The Fair will be held Oct. 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tony Rands Student Center at Fayetteville Technical Community College, 2220 Hull Road.

(Photo: Dental health professionals stand with the tooth mascots at the 2023 Youth Dental Health Fair. Photo courtesy of Jessica Jones, FTCC)