April 10, 2004

By: Lilian Ross
Website: http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com

Dental Access Day – Free Dental Care For Some Lucky Youngsters

More than 160 Wisconsin Dental Association members, along with numerous dental hygienists and assistants, dental school students and faculty and community volunteers, will donate expertise, time and supplies through 60 local oral health education, screening and treatment programs in recognition of the first annual Give Kids A Smile national children’s dental access day.

As an annual centerpiece for National Children’s Dental Health Month, the American Dental Association and its state and local member societies are setting aside the third Friday of February to help enhance the oral health of large numbers of needy children.

The ADA reports more than 4,000 Give Kids A Smile programs are being planned nationwide and estimates that no less than 500,000 and possibly more than one million low-income children will receive free oral health care that day. In order to provide care to children with the greatest needs, these services are not open to the general public. Rather, dentists are working with local government agencies, public schools, Head Start, Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth, family and community organizations to identify low-income families with children in need of oral health care and to work with parents and guardians to schedule appointments for this special day.

National co-sponsors include Crest Healthy Smiles 2010, Sullivan-Schein Dental, DEXIS Digital X-ray Systems, Ivoclar Vivadent Inc. and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In Wisconsin, Midwest Dental is making a statewide effort with 17 offices participating. Examples of upcoming WDA Give Kids A Smile events follow.

A pre-screening day in January at Marquette University School of Dentistry involved 17 dentists, 108 students, five staff and 238 children between the ages of two and 16. Some 40 dentists, 50 dental office staff and numerous dental and dental hygiene students will provide follow-up care to 220 of these youngsters at participating clinics and in private offices.

In La Crosse County, WDA Southwest Region Trustee Dr. Eva Dahl is coordinating a multiple-site effort involving 30 dentists and dozens of allied dental personnel from private practices and the La Crosse Midwest Dental office. This Give Kids A Smile project began in January with pre-screening exams for children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse and Sparta Public Schools. Some 120 children between the ages of 5 and 16 will receive follow-up treatment.

The Dane County Dental Society and area Midwest Dental offices are teaming up to provide basic dental exams, cleanings and other treatments to more than 100 local, low-income children with oral health care needs. Working with the Brodhead Public Schools and Lions Club, Dr. Julio Rodriguez and his six-person staff will help improve the smiles of 40 – 50 children next Friday.

In Green Bay, WDA Northeast Region Trustee Dr. Robert Villwock and his staff are coordinating a multiple-site effort involving 13 dentists and their allied dental personnel. This Give Kids A Smile project will provide restorative treatment for 68 students from Howe Elementary School, Villwock’s alma mater. This is a cooperative effort involving two Midwest Dental offices, Seal A Smile, N.E.W. Community Free Clinic and Brown County Dairy Promotion Committee.

In West Bend, ADA Ninth District Trustee Dr. Kathleen Roth, Dr. Daniel Roth and Dr. Kathryn Davies are working with Head Start and the local Women, Infants and Children Program to identify youngsters in need of basic teeth cleaning, fluoride treatments, oral exams and restorative care. These three doctors and their five-person staff expect to see 50 children.

The Racine County Dental Society is working with Head Start and Health Care Network Children to provide basic dental screenings, cleanings, and fluoride treatments for 100 – 150 youngsters. Chairperson for this effort is Dr. Jenny Quizon.

The Outagamie County Dental Association, Winnebago Dental Association, Tri-County Dental Clinic and Midwest Dental offices in Appleton, Kimberly, Neenah and Oshkosh will provide exams and treatment for 100 – 200 children.

In the WDA’s 27-county Northwest Region, Dr. Paul Hagemann and two dental office staff members are working with the Iron County Health Department to identify 25-50 low-income, pre-school children for dental screenings and fluoride treatments.

Dental decay among children is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. An estimated 23 million children in America are without dental insurance. State legislators are invited to visit Give Kids A Smile events in their districts.

An article issue of the ADA News, utilizing data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey of 1996, shows dentists provided 41 percent of per capital funding of all dental care received by children below the poverty-level. Government programs like Medicaid and BadgerCare accounted for only 28 percent of all funding required to provide dental services to the same group of low-income children.

Author Notes:

Lilian Ross contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.teeth-whitening-smiles.com.  Everything you need to know to get a whiter, brighter smile!