Presentation Category
Community Oral Health
Introduction/Context/Diagnosis
Summary of Project: The Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) program is a national event through the American Dental Association. Its goal is to provide underserved children with free, quality oral health care and preventative education. At UOP, the GKAS event was sponsored by the Pediatric Department, with whom we worked closely to orchestrate the finer details of the event. With over 100 volunteers, we were able to provide free dental screenings, cleanings, fluoride treatment, and oral health education to ninety-four children. The event was strategically laid out to require children and their parents to complete the interactive educational portion before receiving the free care. This facilitated the goal of increasing oral health literacy in the San Francisco community, which creates a longer lasting impact on these families. Significance: The GKAS event holds significant importance in promoting oral health among children, especially those from underserved communities. Many children, especially those from low-income households, do not have access to regular dental care due to financial hardships or lack of dental insurance. This volunteer event aimed to provide an opportunity for children to receive free dental treatments, such as oral and orthodontic screenings, cleanings, and fluoride applications. Additionally, this event provided interactive and instructional activities oriented towards educating children about the importance of oral hygiene and preventative dental care. Our aim was to instill good dental habits and early intervention. Acknowledgements: We are grateful for the pediatric clinic DAU team, pediatric dental faculty volunteers, dental student volunteers, dental hygiene student volunteers, dispensary workers, and building operations team for helping us organize the GKAS event. The overwhelming support for this event is truly appreciated and we could not have done this without everyone’s help!
Location
Arthur A Dugoni School of Dentistry, 155 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Format
Presentation
Give Kids A Smile Volunteer Event
Arthur A Dugoni School of Dentistry, 155 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Summary of Project: The Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) program is a national event through the American Dental Association. Its goal is to provide underserved children with free, quality oral health care and preventative education. At UOP, the GKAS event was sponsored by the Pediatric Department, with whom we worked closely to orchestrate the finer details of the event. With over 100 volunteers, we were able to provide free dental screenings, cleanings, fluoride treatment, and oral health education to ninety-four children. The event was strategically laid out to require children and their parents to complete the interactive educational portion before receiving the free care. This facilitated the goal of increasing oral health literacy in the San Francisco community, which creates a longer lasting impact on these families. Significance: The GKAS event holds significant importance in promoting oral health among children, especially those from underserved communities. Many children, especially those from low-income households, do not have access to regular dental care due to financial hardships or lack of dental insurance. This volunteer event aimed to provide an opportunity for children to receive free dental treatments, such as oral and orthodontic screenings, cleanings, and fluoride applications. Additionally, this event provided interactive and instructional activities oriented towards educating children about the importance of oral hygiene and preventative dental care. Our aim was to instill good dental habits and early intervention. Acknowledgements: We are grateful for the pediatric clinic DAU team, pediatric dental faculty volunteers, dental student volunteers, dental hygiene student volunteers, dispensary workers, and building operations team for helping us organize the GKAS event. The overwhelming support for this event is truly appreciated and we could not have done this without everyone’s help!
Comments/Acknowledgements
Presentation Category: PIP: Community Health Service & Health Promotion