ADA News

With Give Kids A Smile Day just days away, a total of 1,962 GKAS events have been registered with estimates that nearly 319,000 children will be treated on or around Feb. 4.

Almost 12,700 dentists and 36,000 other dental team members and lay volunteers will be providing care to kids in need through GKAS programs.

Programs are encouraged to register if they haven’t done so yet—either before or after their events, and all program coordinators/dentist participants are asked to report their actual program totals following their events. Log on to www.givekidsasmile.ada.org.

GKAS corporate sponsors have generously supported the program. Henry Schein Dental provided professional dental kits containing gloves, masks, patient bibs, dental floss, prophy paste and fluoride products. Colgate-Palmolive Co. donated toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste. DEXIS Digital X-ray Systems donated use of their X-ray units and the expertise of their staff to U.S. dental schools requesting help during GKAS.

Each year on the first Friday in February, thousands of dentists and their dental team members provide free oral health care services to children from low-income families across the country. (While the first Friday of February is the recommended event date, GKAS programs can be successfully conducted during any month of the year.)

The ADA News welcomes digital photo submissions from GKAS program participants—including candid pictures of children, dentists and team members interacting and clinical photos (patients in the chair, dental team in gloves, masks and protective eyewear).

Be sure to include identification of those pictured and facts about your event.Send high-resolution photos for consideration for use in the ADA News and on ADA News Today (on ADA.org) to adanews@ada.org as soon as possible following your event.