On Feb. 7, children without dental insurance will have something to smile about.
That’s when Give Kids a Smile will be held at MCHD Dentistry, which is participating in the American Dental Association event for the 10th year in a row.
WVU Dental Care also will celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month by offering screenings, fluoride treatments, dental radiographs if indicated and oral health education to ages one to 17 from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the WVU Pediatric Dentistry Clinic.
“It’s an initiative by the ADA that encourages dentists to open up their offices to children to provide dental care to children who don’t have dental insurance,” said Dr. Dan Carrier, director of MCHD Dentistry, Monongalia County Health Department’s full-service dental office.
“It’s to help those kids with treatment and get the care they need, and it also raises awareness for the need for oral health in children.”
Appointments can be made at the health department for children up to age 18 who do not have dental insurance. During a 30- to 40-minute appointment, children will receive a dental checkup, a cleaning and a fluoride treatment with a dental hygienist and will be seen by Carrier.
“Access to care in West Virginia is a huge barrier for adults, for children, for everyone, healthy and sick. If we can get more people willing to come for an exam and for early intervention, it can help decrease dental disease burden in our children,” said Dr. Gina Graziani, chair of the department of pediatric dentistry. “It’s all about prevention and education.”
The ADA launched Give Kids a Smile in 2003 as a way for dental care providers to join with others in their communities to offer free dental services to underserved children.
About 20 children participated in MCHD Dentistry’s inaugural event in 2011, Carrier said. In 2018, a record 64 children were seen during Give Kids a Smile.
“In the past, we’ve been focused on beating the previous year,” Carrier said. “I think what we’re looking at now is the impact we have with kids who are here. In the past, we haven’t had space to be able to fix teeth. We’re now trying to do that more.”
In 2019, the health department held a second GKAS event in August.
“We were able to do that because of some grant money we received from Your Community Foundation of North Central West Virginia,” Carrier said.
WVU School of Dentistry clinicians expect to see 15 children every 45 minutes for 135 patients throughout the day.
Parents and guardians who plan to bring their children to Give Kids a Smile should remember:
- The event is only for children up to age 18 without dental insurance.
- The child must have an appointment.
- Appointments are limited and are expected to fill up quickly.
To make an appointment for Give Kids a Smile at the Mon County Health Department,
call 304-598-5108; at
WVU, visit http://dentistry.hsc.wvu.edu.
