Promising Practices Symposium
Dental team members learn how to better Give Kids A Smile
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Posted July 15, 2008 |
By Stacie Crozier More than 100 individuals from all over the U.S. gathered at ADA Headquarters June 12-14 for the second Give Kids A Smile Promising Practices Symposium.
Dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, state and local dental association staff, public health workers, dental trade representatives and others networked in the newly renovated ADA Headquarters lobby at a June 12 evening opening reception.
Between the fruit and muffin breakfast the next morning and slices of Chicago-style pizza at the end of the day, they shared their victories, their questions, their frustrations and their passions for their individual GKAS programs and went home armed with information and suggestions to help them improve and/or expand their programs in the future.
This was the second year that Dr. Kimberley Gise, director of the Dave Pratt Dental Clinic at the I.G. Homes Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix, came to the symposium.
"Attending a symposium like this is re-energizing and empowering," said Dr. Gise. "It gets you fired up. The best thing for me was the exchange of viable ideas I can put into our clinic's GKAS program. There were a few times that the moderators had to tell us we needed to move on, because participants' hands kept going up and people really wanted to share their ideas with the group."
This year, Dr. Gise said, her program expanded its efforts into providing more restorative services instead of their previous screening program. The two-chair dental clinic expanded its boundaries into the Boys & Girls Club for GKAS, and included a large triage area, digital radiography and 15 chairs. The program's 117 volunteers treated 122 children and provided nearly $39,000 in care.
"We had volunteer dental professionals from all over the valley," she added. "And we had pediatric dentists, an endodontist and an oral surgeon who followed up with care in their own offices for children who needed additional treatment."
Working well in advance, the program screened 150 children in October 2007 to identify children who needed treatment through GKAS.
Also gaining new insights for his program was Dr. Norman L. Holtz, co-chairman of the Nassau County (New York) GKAS program.
"I have gained a new perspective and a new approach to this extremely important service that dentists across America are providing to their communities," said Dr. Holtz. The Nassau County program is one of the larger GKAS screening programs in the nation, typically inviting 1,500 or more children for screenings and dental hygiene instruction at Nassau County's Cradle of Aviation Museum.
"With the new skills learned at the symposium on fundraising, press coverage and getting our elected officials involved, I intend to make the Nassau County Dental Society's Give Kids a Smile event the crown jewel of our profession and our community.
"I am meeting with our state senator next week," Dr. Holtz added. "This would not have been possible without the valuable information I have gained through the symposium."
One of the highlights of the symposium, sponsored by the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation, was a presentation by Dr. Jeff Dalin, GKAS founder from St. Louis, who discussed "The Evolution of a Local GKAS Program."
"The ADA is here to help you," he told attendees. "You're the ones in the trenches, doing great things for kids all over the nation." Dr. Dalin's presentation included a lively question-and-answer session, where participants got to take their questions and concerns to the national GKAS guru.
Participants also focused on fundraising, holding a GKAS event in the state capitol for maximum visibility by legislators and media, working with school nurses to identify GKAS patients and how to involve celebrities in a local GKAS event. Other activities included breakout sessions on advocacy, GKAS event nuts and bolts organization and working with the local dental society to enhance a GKAS program. About 20 participants stayed on for a June 14 morning media/spokesperson training session.
Each participant also received some inspiration from Sesame Street's Elmo—a copy of "Ready, Set, Brush!" a new hands-on children's board book produced through a cooperative effort between Reader's Digest Children's Books, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and the ADA.
Next year's GKAS event is set for Feb. 6, 2009. For more GKAS information and to view the symposium proceedings (which will be posted by the end of August on ADA.org), log on to www.ada.org/goto/gkas.
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