Howard Community College Dental Hygiene program hosts inaugural 'Give Kids a Smile' day
The Howard Community College Dental Hygiene program provided 25 area children free dental hygiene services during the college’s inaugural ‘Give Kids a Smile’ outreach event on Feb. 2.
Give Kids A Smile Day (GKAS) is a national initiative sponsored by the American Dental Association that encourages dental practitioners to provide free treatment to children during Children's Dental Health Month.
“Our students provided dental hygiene treatment to kids under the supervision of clinical faculty,” said Dr. Mirlina Bryant, supervising dentist in the program. “Our youngest patient was one year old, several kids had never been to a dental office before, and a couple had recently migrated from South Africa, Brazil, and China.”
HCC’s Dental Hygiene program of study prepares students to become licensed primary health providers and members of dental teams responsible for preventative oral healthcare. Students earning an associate’s degree in the field have training for careers in clinical care, education, research, and public health advocacy.
The Give Kids A Smile program, launched nationally in 2003, provides underserved children free oral health care. Approximately 6,500 dentists and 30,000 dental team members annually volunteer at local GKAS events to offer free oral health education, screenings, and preventive and restorative treatment to over 300,000 children. GKAS events are held throughout the year, and according to the ADA, over 7 million underserved children have received free oral health services throughout the United States through the initiative.