ATSU-ASDOH gives kids a reason to smile
Posted: February 19, 2013
MESA, Ariz. – On Feb. 15, A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) in partnership with Arizona Dental Foundation (ADF), hosted its eighth Give Kids A Smile® event providing dental treatment free-of-charge to more than 360 Phoenix-area schoolchildren on its Mesa campus.
Approximately 240 ATSU-ASDOH students provided critical treatments that included sealants, fillings, stainless steel crowns, pulp therapy (root canal) and extractions to the Valley’s youth, who many, have never been to a dentist.
Several ATSU-ASDOH faculty dentists as well as University alumni dentists, community dentists, endodontists, hygienists and staff volunteers helped lead the student-driven event.
The American Dental Association began the Give Kids A Smile® program in 2003 as a way for members to join with others in the community to provide dental services to underserved children. ATSU-ASDOH Give Kids A Smile® is one of 1,700 events benefiting approximately 450,000 underserved children nationally.
Children miss 52 million hours of school annually due to oral health problems, according to The National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research. Fortunately, Give Kids A Smile® offers a long-term solution in helping to lower that number so that our youth are happy, healthy and able to function productively on a daily basis.
“The students were so eager to make a difference,” said ADF Executive Director, Ginger Froncek. “It has been amazing to watch young ATSU-ASDOH student volunteers move through their education and on to their own practices.”
Initiatives like Give Kids A Smile® strengthen the mission of ATSU in aspiring students to become high-quality, community-minded leaders to serve those most in need.
Photos from the event may be found on ATSU’s official Facebook page.