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Give Kids A Smile

Give Kids A Smile is an annual centerpiece to National Children's Dental Health Month and is observed every year on the first Friday in February, while NCDHM is celebrated during the entire month of February. National Children's Dental Health Month focuses on providing oral health education to all children despite their economic status. Give Kids A Smile was designed to provide education, preventative and restorative care to low-income children who do not have access to care.

In North Carolina, during FY 2007 approximately 915,041 North Carolinian children were eligible for Medicaid from a population of 2.2 million children (age 0-17); however, only 38% are actually enrolled in Medicaid. There was an additional 165,835 children under age 19 enrolled in North Carolina Health Choice for that same fiscal year. Between 2002 and 2007 the uninsured rate for children increased by 12.9%, because North Carolina has experienced one of the largest decreases of employer-based coverage in the nation. One out of every five North Carolinian children enters kindergarten with untreated dental disease.

With the leadership of the North Carolina Dental Society and the efforts of thousands of volunteers, North Carolina has been part of “Give Kids A Smile!” since it began in 2003, and has won a national award for the best statewide GKAS program. To date, more than 14,686 dental volunteers have provided over $10.5 million in oral care to more than 123,251 children across the State. During February 2010, more than 1,660 dental professionals and volunteers provided $1.7 million dollars in oral health care to 15,544 children.

Volunteers provide dental treatment, prevention, and/or educational programs to children from all 100 counties. The North Carolina Dental Society works with a number of organizations to help make the event a success, including the North Carolina Oral Health Section, the North Carolina Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, SmartStart (North Carolina Partnership for Children), the UNC School of Dentistry, North Carolina Community Colleges, and the North Carolina Dental Assistants Association. Other organizations have donated funds, products and/or services, including ADS Printing, CES Mail Service, Bluegrass Promotional Marketing, TS Designs, and FedEx/Kinko’s. On the national level, sponsors include Colgate, DEXIS, and Sullivan-Schein.

The North Carolina Dental Society invites you to join with us and help make a difference in the quality of life for all of our children. To find out how you can help or for more information contact Lisa Lawson at llawson@ncdental.org.

Together, we can “Give Kids A Smile!”