Nearly 50 smiling patients received care at Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s recent Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) event. The event, held annually in February during Children’s Dental Health Month, offers free dental care to children ages one to 17.
Student organizers Stephanie Yang, DMD24, and Kadriye Hargett, DMD24, planned and promoted this year’s event working closely with faculty and student volunteers. Although COVID-19 restrictions were still in place, the team made sure the event was a success with social distancing in effect, and additional PPE equipment provided for all patients and their parents.
“Give Kids a Smile has become an annual tradition to host at HSDM, and for good reason too,” said Yang. “By being a part of GKAS, we get the opportunity to not only deliver care and help connect patients to a dental home, but also gain a better understanding of the community we plan to serve in the future.”
Nearly 50 different volunteers consisting of student dental providers, student assistants, oral health care education volunteers, and Operation Mouthguard volunteers were on hand to treat patients and promote oral health education. Several faculty, staff, and Advance Graduate Education (AGE) residents were also there to oversee care.
GKAS also offered an educational component this year. Dental students created interactive oral health education stations for children to learn how to brush their teeth and floss properly. A face painting station was also included in the festivities.
“We hope that by educating patients on proper oral hygiene and the link between diet and oral health, we will equip these patients with daily tools for preventing dental disease,” said Hargett.
In addition to routine check-ups and x-rays, patients were also fitted for custom-made mouthguards through HSDM’s Operation Mouthguard initiative. The initiative aims to reduce the risk of sports-related oral injuries by providing mouthguards to young athletes in the Boston area who might not otherwise have this crucial protection.
“All in all, we are so grateful to be able to continue providing care for our pediatric population through Give Kids a Smile,” Yang said. “This is a tradition that has been so special to the HSDM community every year and I hope to be a part of it for all my four years as a pre-doctoral student at HSDM.”
