to provide free dental cleanings to Boys & Girls Club children
Who: Palm Beach State College’s Dental Hygiene students and clinical faculty will provide free preventive dental treatment for children from the Wellington Boys and Girls Club. The children were preregistered with permission of their parents or guardians. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated during this time.
What: Continuing a long tradition that was interrupted by the pandemic, Palm Beach State’s Dental Health Services department is hosting a Give Kids a Smile event in conjunction with the national event founded by the American Dental Association in 2003. Each year, approximately 37,000 dental health professionals volunteer at local GKAS events to provide free oral health education, screenings, and preventive and restorative treatment to over 300,000 children. To date, over 7 million underserved children have received free oral health services through the GKAS program.
At the GKAS event hosted by PBSC, children will be treated by students currently enrolled in the Dental Hygiene Associate in Science degree program under the direct supervision of clinical faculty. Each child will receive a dental cleaning, x-rays (if needed), fluoride treatment, sealants, and oral health education. (Dental sealants can prevent up to 80% of cavities and protect teeth for several years.)
When: Nov. 5, 2024 from 10 a.m. to noon
Where: Dental Health Services Bldg., 1st Floor (Dental Hygiene Care Center)
Lake Worth campus, 4200Congress Ave.
Enter at main Congress Avenue entrance (at traffic light between Sixth Avenue South and Lake Worth Road). Once on the campus, take the first left. At the stop sign, turn right. The Dental Health (DH) building is the one-story building on the right.
Why: Tooth decay (dental caries) is the most prevalent chronic disease among children and adolescents. Untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that may lead to problems in eating, speaking, playing and learning. According to Floridians for Dental Access, Florida ranks last (50th out of 50 states) in the percentage of children receiving a dental health visit in the last 12 months, and 1 out of 4 (25.1%) Florida third graders have untreated cavities, making Florida the sixth worst state in the nation for this measure. Give Kids a Smile events are held annually to:
- Provide free dental services to local, qualifying children from low-income families.
- Raise awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease occurring across the country.
- Raise awareness of the need to build local public and private partnerships to increase access to oral health care to solve this crisis.
Media Kerry Capell
Contact: News and Media Relations Coordinator
Cell: 561-679-2849
At Event: Judy McCauley, RDH
Associate Professor and Dental Hygiene Program Chair
561-868-3758