School Of Dental And Oral Surgery Participates In National Event Providing Free Dental Services To Underserved Kids
2nd Annual Give Kids a Smile Day Celebrates Children’s Dental Health Month WHAT: To mark the beginning of Children's Dental Health Month, Columbia University School of Dental & Oral Surgery is participating in the national 2nd Annual Give Kids a Smile Day - offering children in northern Manhattan and the Bronx free dental screenings, oral health education information, health insurance information, fun activities and free giveaways. WHEN: Friday, February 6, 2004 WHERE: Various locations – Columbia University Medical Center – Pediatric Dentistry 722 West 168th Street (Haven Avenue) 2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Thelma C. Davidson Adair Medical & Dental Center 565 Manhattan Avenue (124th Street, entrance on Hancock Place) 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. PS 128 – Audubon Public School 560 Audubon Avenue (169th Street) Open only to children at PS 128 who have a signed consent form Mobile Dental Center 543 East 189th Street, Bronx Open to children at La Peninsula Head Start Center in the Bronx and at Columbia Club House (Boys & Girls Club)
WHY: Dental caries (tooth decay) is the single most prevalent chronic childhood disease – five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. There are significant disparities in oral diseases by race and income – 25% of all children have 80% of all dental decay. Access to care is the primary reason. In New York State, about 4 million people live in designated dental shortage areas, and almost 2 million children lack dental insurance. ###
Give Kids A Smile Day is a national event sponsored by the American Dental Association, Henry-Sullivan Schein and Crest that aims to improve the oral health of large numbers of needy children and highlight for policy makers the ongoing challenges that low-income and disabled children face in accessing dental care. The School of Dental and Oral Surgery (SDOS) at Columbia University, founded in 1917, oversees an extensive community-based service program for residents in the surrounding community – a Federally designated medical and dental manpower shortage area. Outreach into the community includes dental programs in seven area public schools, a dental van, and three off-site community-based dental clinics, providing state of the art care to an underserved population as well as a rich learning environment for students at SDOS.
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