G i v e K i d s a S m i l e ®
The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine held its 12 th Annual “ Give Kids A Smile Day ” on February 7 and provided more than $ 16,000 of free dental care .
Give Kids a Smile ® ( GKAS ) is a national program run by the ADA to provide access to care to low-income families . Although GKAS is traditionally celebrated the first Friday in February , GKAS events occur throughout the year . In addition to NCDHM , many PDA members chose to donate their time to GKAS events .
The Montgomery Bucks Dental Society partnered with the Abington Police Athletic League , Abington School District and state Rep . Madeleine Dean of the 153 rd District to treat the underserved children in their township . In its third year , the March 1 GKAS event was held at the offices of Drs . Jay Freedman and Cary Limberakis . Exams , cleanings , X-rays , sealants , fluoride , simple restoration and simple extractions were divided and performed between the two offices and the dental professionals who volunteered .
“ Hundreds of man hours went into the planning , publicizing and executing of our GKAS event — all volunteers , community and dental professionals — but we change lives for the better ,” Dr . Freedman said .
More than $ 14,000 in donated dental services was provided to the 32 children in need who were seen that day . In the past three years the event has been held , an estimated $ 35,000 in services has been donated .
When reflecting on the event , Dr . Limberakis said that the very words that come to mind are “ appreciation ” and “ gratification .” The patients and their parents were most appreciative and the dental health providers were most gratified to help those in need .
The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine faculty and students provided free dental care at the 12 th Annual “ Give Kids A Smile Day ” on February 7 , where local children received diagnostic testing and treatment . The program ’ s theme this year was “ Outer Space : Your Smile is Out of This World !” The pediatric dental clinic was transformed to resemble outer space as a way to increase the comfort level of children while seeing a dentist . Included was a “ command center ,” a rocket ship and education station that taught children how to properly brush their teeth , and the importance of healthy
food choices .
This year ’ s event allowed over 85 patients to receive more than $ 16,000 worth of free dental care over two days . To enable the students , faculty and residents to provide this much needed treatment , the School of Dental Medicine closed many of their clinics for those two days to accommodate all of these patients . In addition to dental school faculty , participating groups included the school ’ s Student Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Student Dental Association ( ASDA ).
Dr . Jennifer Davis and Dr . Fredrick Johnson , held their 5 th annual “ Give Kids A Smile Day ” on March 8 at their office in Cleona . With the help of their dental staff , they provided more than $ 2,200 in dental services . They started preparations in January , by completing dental exams for students in the Annville-Cleona School District . Students seen during the school dental exams who had decay or areas of dental need had a letter sent home to their parents informing them of the areas needing attention and inviting
2 0 M AY / J U N 2 0 1 4 | P E N N S Y LVA N I A D E N TA L J O U R N A L