CFHC participated in national Give Kids a Smile Day
February 8, 2008
People shouldn’t have to depend on charity for basic dental care. The American Dental Association recognizes this and sponsors Give Kids a Smile® Day — a one-day event meant to raise awareness that many low-income children across the country do not receive the dental care they so desperately need and that children deserve a better health care system that addresses their dental health needs. Chicago Family Health Center participated in the Feb. 1 event, providing dental care to students from South Central Elementary in the Gresham neighborhood.
Activities for Give Kids a Smile Day included both health education and teeth cleanings. A total of 28 students attended the event; 12 of those students received teeth cleanings. The children gathered in the Patient Education room in South Chicago where they first met with dental staff who gave a presentation on good oral hygiene. Then the children went a group at a time to the dental clinic, where they received a cleaning, while the remaining children received further health education. The dental visit includes a teeth cleaning and screening for dental caries or other possible dental problems.
Annual dental cleanings are an important tool in preventive care. Untreated dental issues can cause myriad problems: social and physical. Untreated oral diseases may lead to problems in eating, speaking, and sleeping. Poor oral health among children has been tied to poor performance in school and poor social relationships. Children with chronic dental pain may have difficulty concentrating, poor self-image, and problems completing schoolwork. Children with early childhood dental problems also often weigh less than those with good dental health.
The Give Kids A Smile name was first used by the Greater St. Louis Dental Society and a group of dentists who set up a temporary full-service clinic that treated nearly 400 children over two days in February 2002. Since then the program has grown enormously, and in 2007 resulted in treatment of more than 758,000 children. Events took place at approximately 2,250 locations across the nation, with more than 39,000 dental team volunteers and 14,400 dentists providing free services to underserved children.
