Making it Easy to Educate...and empower

"I was a bit nervous initially when Dr. Ismail asked me to appear in the video. But after reading the script, my anxiety disappeared because I felt very strongly about the message of empowerment this video conveys to parents and caregivers in Detroit," said Dr. Lorelei Claiborne as she discussed making the video. "We also wanted to offer some simple, yet effective, things they can do to help their children achieve better oral health."

Claiborne, who appears in the video and whose voice is heard off-camera offering tips and suggestions, was an undergraduate at U-M. Following her junior year, she enrolled in dental school at Georgetown University and earned her DDS in 1990. Since 1992, she has been practicing at the Community Health and Social Service (CHASS) dental clinic in Detroit.

"My parents always emphasized the importance of getting a good education," she said. "I enjoyed math and science in school, but our family dentist in Detroit, Dr. Jeffrey McMillian, sparked my interest in dentistry. He was an incredibly nice person who enjoyed what he was doing because he was helping others."

Making it Easier "to get the message out"

Claiborne was among those who screened children during the Wave 1 of the Detroit Dental Health Project’s assessment program. "So participating in the video was an extension of those efforts," she said.

"Parents, caregivers, and children can better relate to me both as an African-American woman and as a health care professional," Claiborne said. "That makes it easier to get the message out that they can make a difference and that there are things they can do to improve the oral health of their children."

It took two Saturdays to film the 17-minute video.

"Now that I’ve had some experience about what’s involved in producing a movie or television program, I don’t watch them the same way because I know there’s a lot of behind the scenes work that’s involved," she said with a laugh.

Discussing the video, Claiborne talked about a popular genre of programs on television today – extreme makeovers.

"We seem to be so focused on extreme makeovers, for whatever reason, that we have forgotten that there are a lot of basic things we can do to improve oral health, be it watching the foods we eat or the sugary drinks we consume or how to care for teeth," she said. "When we do those basic things on a regular basis for children, they benefit because they can live better lives," she said.