The American dental association volunteers a day to the less privileged.
Artwork by Kiera Classen
On Friday February 3, Dentists across Colorado have volunteered for Give Kids a Smile Day to provide free dental attention to children without dental insurance or the ability to afford dental care.
Colorado mission mercy is a large-scale dental clinic in which dental services are provided at no cost and, on February 3rd, the Colorado mission mercy (also known as COMOM) is coming to various dental locations in the metro area in order to provide dental care.
It is the nation’s largest project to help children from low-income families with their dental needs, and to draw attention to the problem that many families face when trying to access basic dental care. The free screening includes a dental exam, oral healthcare instruction, fluoride treatments, and free dental hygiene materials, such as toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste.
Nearly one in four children, aged two to 11 years old have untreated cavities in their baby teeth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many children enrolled in Medicaid receive no dental services throughout the year. The Dental Association has a mission to change that and keep kids smiling.
Many kids are expected to show up, so the COMOM is asking for all family members to come early. Doors open at 6 A.M. patients are served on a first come, first serve basis, and no appointment is necessary. The number of participants expected to show up as of January 25 is 405,086 around the nation. There are also 9,507 volunteering dentists.
This year will be the 10th year anniversary of the American Dental Association Give Kids A Smile program; their mission is to eliminate cavities in children by 2020. “I think this is a really good program for the less privileged,” said Nurse Betty Richmeier. Doctors around the nation plan to make this an annual event to raise awareness of the need to build local public and private partnerships to increase access to oral health care for children.
