Feb. 5 is Give Kids a Smile day

Today is the ADA’s eighth annual Give Kids A Smile day, and some 50,000 dental professionals will volunteer to provide free services to more than 320,000 children at 2,000 program sites nationwide.

GKAS is the ADA’s major oral health outreach program, launched to encourage parents, health professionals and policymakers to address this important health issue.

“We all know that a one-day event is not a delivery system and cannot solve the ongoing problem of untreated dental disease,” stressed ADA President Ronald L. Tankersley. “It is important that policymakers at the federal and state level strengthen dental provisions in public health programs to help put children on the road to good oral health.”

GKAS dental volunteers will provide educational materials, screenings and, where possible, free dental care such as cleanings, X-rays and fillings. “Although many children will benefit from the services provided through Give Kids A Smile, our concern is for the countless others who continue to suffer from untreated dental disease,” said Dr. Tankersley. “We will continue to advocate for a larger and lasting way, through public policy, to ensure that kids who have been falling through the cracks in our delivery system receive the attention they need.”

Most GKAS events take place during February’s National Children’s Dental Health Month, through the volunteer efforts of dentists and dental team members and the generous support of corporate sponsors.

In 2010, the Colgate-Palmolive Co. will supply 300,000 toothbrushes and 300,000 tubes of toothpaste for GKAS events; DEXIS Digital X-ray donates the use of DEXIS Digital X-ray systems and support staff to U.S. dental schools requesting help; Henry Schein Dental will provide professional dental kits containing gloves, masks, patient bibs, dental floss, prophy paste and fluoride products.