On the first Friday in February, Kansas dentists, along with other dental professionals from across the country, provide free oral health care services to thousands of underserved children through Give Kids a Smile.
Trego Hospital Endowment Foundation has partnered with the Trego County Health Department to ensure local kids are able to receive necessary dental care through the Give Kids A Smile program. THEF also provides free dental health supplies, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste.
A program of the American Dental Association, Give Kids a Smile focuses on offering oral health education to all children while providing free preventive and restorative care to the kids that need it most.
Efforts range from community outreach/and education programs at schools to donated full mouth restorations for those children requiring extensive care. Additionally, Give Kids A Smile highlights for policymakers the ongoing challenges that underserved children and children with disabilities face in accessing dental care.
Through the ADA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile program, launched nationally by the American Dental Association in 2003, more than 5.5 million underserved children have received free oral health services. These free services are provided by volunteers including approximately 10,000 dentists annually, along with 30,000 other dental team members.
