DCG hosts 22nd annual Give Kids a Smile event

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, Augusta University’s Dental College of Georgia, in conjunction with the College of Allied Health Sciences, hosted its 22nd annual Give Kids a Smile Day.

Close to 80 underserved pediatric patients from a local elementary school were brought to DCG to receive free teeth cleanings and restorative treatments. 

“This is the first year where we’re seeing close to 100 children. I don’t know that we’ve necessarily seen an increase in tooth decay, but it’s the most common infectious disease in children,” said Tara Schafer, DMD, chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the DCG. “Nearly a quarter of children in the school-age range will have at least one cavity that needs treatment.”

During the event, restorative treatments and extractions were performed by DCG pediatric dentistry faculty, residents and students, while dental hygiene students provided the cleanings.

What could have been a scary or nerve-wracking experience, especially for a child who has never received dental care, was made into a fun and educational experience by the dental hygiene students. 

“They loved it – they were very excited,” said Kandyce A’see, EdD, professor of dental hygiene in the College of Allied Health Sciences. “We had a student dress up like a molar, and she was running around.”

The welcoming environment was well-received.

“It gives you a sense of joy, a sense of pride, just to see the kids smile,” A’see said. “They’re running up to you, hugging you, and telling you bye and they had fun. It gives a sense of joy to see them smile.”

But the excitement didn’t take away from the fact that tooth decay and a lack of access to health care is a pressing problem in many communities – and filling that void is something AU’s medical providers are passionate about.

“It’s really, really a big impact. We had two children today who have a lot of decay in their mouths, and who have never been to the dentist. We had a couple of children who said they didn’t have a toothbrush or toothpaste,” A’see said. “So, we supplied them with toothbrushes and toothpaste, and I’ve taken down the information of the students who haven’t been and have that decay, and the Dental College is going to get them in to take care of that for them.”

The Give Kids a Smile initiative was created by the American Dental Association to combat tooth decay, also known as caries or cavities, which is the most common chronic disease in children, affecting nearly 46% of children in the U.S.

“A lot of people think they’re just baby teeth, it’s just a cavity and it’s going to fall out and it’s not a big deal,” Schafer said. “But cavities can lead to a full-blown infection, and there are cases of children and adults who have died from a dental infection. It is a serious problem, and we would like to catch it as early as possible so that we can do the most minimal amount of treatment to get that child taken care of.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children from low-income families are twice as likely to have cavities compared to children from higher-income households. On top of that, many children enrolled in public insurance programs receive no dental care throughout the year. 

To combat these harrowing statistics, more than 300,000 children nationwide who have limited access to health care receive dental treatments each year through the national Give Kids a Smile program.

The awareness that oral health is a predictor of overall health and well-being and that many oral ailments are preventable is just as important as the care itself.

“We like to say that you’re not really, truly healthy if your mouth is not in good shape,” Schafer said. “Dental decay is a huge problem, not just in the pediatric population, but in the adult population, especially in pregnant moms. It can lead to preterm labor. It can lead to very low birth weight in children. It can lead to heart disease. It can lead to all kinds of issues that people may not think of when they think about teeth.”

With a mission to reach more and more children in need each year, the schools plan on hosting and expanding Give Kids a Smile Day for years to come.

“I can’t imagine that it does anything but get bigger and bigger,” Schafer said. “We’re very largely supported by the American Dental Association, the Georgia Dental Association, and then, within the school, our dean has been very gracious in providing lunch for everyone involved. And so as long as I’m here, I can’t see a time when we won’t do it.”