CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Kanawha Valley Dental Society will be sponsoring the 16th annual Give Kids A Smile event on Friday, Feb.2 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
“The event will be held at 5480 Big Tyler Road, Cross Lanes, WV 25313, to provide underserved children with free dental services. There will also be an area for craft and education stations for all kids to join in the fun. As well as, a live show with WQBE and the Rabbit, Batman, and Wonder Woman,” organizers said.
Nearly one in four children aged 2 to 11 years old has untreated cavities in their baby teeth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many children enrolled in Medicaid receive no dental services throughout the year.
Give Kids A Smile is held annually to:
- Provide free, easily accessible dental services to qualifying individuals.
- Raise awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease occurring locally and nationally and create local public and private partnerships to increase access to oral health care to solve this crisis.
The Kanawha Valley Dental Society has been hosting Give Kids A Smile clinics for years as a way to provide free dental care to local children who desperately need it in our community.
The American Dental Association (ADA) launched the Give Kids A Smile program nationally in 2003 as a way for dentists to join with others in the community to provide dental services to underserved children. Each year, about 350,000 to 400,000 children benefit from more than 1,500 events, all because of the efforts of 40,000 or more annual volunteers nationwide.
All children who are uninsured will receive an exam by a dentist, x-rays and a cleaning. Limited restorative treatment will also be done if time permits on this day after the exam and cleaning have been completed.
Parents can call (304) 881-4842 to schedule an appointment, walk-ins will also be seen on a first come first serve basis.
For more information about Give Kids A Smile visit www.capitalcityGKAS.com or
http://www.ada.org/en/home-ada/public-programs/give-kids-a-smile.