Calling all cavities!

Students in the dental hygiene program at Monroe Community College don't want to see your pearly whites.

The ideal volunteer patient is an adult who hasn't seen a dentist in one or two decades, or who may have built-up tartar, severe decay, chipped or broken teeth, cavities or inflamed or discolored gums.

Clinical training sessions for the program are held at the North Country Children's Clinic, 238 Arsenal St., on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

"For our program, we need people who haven't had their teeth cleaned in a while to meet our requirements," said Jill M. Mulcahey, 23, a senior in the dental hygiene program.

Miss Mulcahey said the most common problem she's encountered with patients is that many do not floss. Combined with poor brushing, or no brushing at all, that leads to a slew of dental problems.

To help meet their requirements, the Oswego resident said, she and other dental hygiene students need more volunteer patients with poor oral health habits. Miss Mulcahey said she has seen nearly 50 patients during her clinical rounds.

Classes for the associate in applied science degree are taken online or at Jefferson Community College, so students don't have to travel to Monroe Community College's Rochester campus. New students are taken every two years.

Kim S. Laurion, dental hygienist and clinical instructor for the program, said volunteers will get some free services, but shouldn't expect a full dental service.

"What we offer are not dental services like from a dentist, but what a dental hygienist would be able to do in his or her practice, which is adult cleaning, and X-rays," she said. "We do have a supervising dentist while we're working so they do check the X-rays, and we can point the patient in the right direction for things they need done that we don't do."

When Marlon T. Whitfield, Watertown, was first seen by dental hygiene student Holly N. LeeHeung, 31, Fort Drum, he had inflamed gums and poor flossing habits. During his third visit Wednesday, Mrs. LeeHeung said she already could see the difference in his gums, which had more color, because he had improved his oral health habits.

"I've implemented new things in taking care of my teeth, such as I've started to use a different type of toothpaste to promote a healthy mouth," Mr. Whitfield said.

Although students are in charge of recruiting their own patients, adults can call the Children's Clinic at 788-9834 to make an appointment with a dental hygiene student.

The program began a few years ago as a way to get more dental hygienists in the north country. Most graduates find work in the area, Mrs. Laurion said.

The program will host an information session at 7 p.m. Monday in JCC's science building amphitheater.