IUPUI

IU Dental School, Indiana Dental Offices Join National Effort to Provide Free Dental Care to Children in Need

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana University School of Dentistry will serve on February 2 as one of the key treatment sites in Indiana for the annual American Dental Association (ADA) "Give Kids a Smile" day, a nationwide initiative to draw attention to the epidemic of untreated oral disease among children from low-income families.

Children ages 16 and under who either do not have access to dental insurance or are currently on Medicaid but do not have a dental provider will receive free dental care and oral health education at the school. More than 80 dentists in central Indiana are also either opening their own offices on Feb. 2 or coming out to the dental school to treat children in need, says the Indiana Dental Association, sponsor of the event's statewide component.

Give Kids a Smile has been successful in Indiana since its inception five years ago, and continues to grow. Last year, the state's dentists donated more than $345,000 in dental care during the one-day event - about $100,000 more than in the preceding year. Nationally, nearly 51,000 dental professionals and volunteers have signed up for the 2007 program.

One of them is IU pediatric dentist Dr. Judith Chin, an IU dental school site participant since 2003. "We provide a wide range of services to the young participants, many of whom are in desperate need of dental care and all of whom can benefit from cleanings and other preventive procedures," she says. "Over the years, we've placed many crowns and fillings, removed badly decayed teeth, and even diagnosed tumors and cysts that required surgery. A neglected mouth is often a painful one - as volunteers, we are eager to do what we can to alleviate the pain, fix the problem, and boost these kids' chances of maintaining their oral health."

The children will receive dental check-ups, fluoride treatments, protective sealants, fillings and extractions, as needed. To make an appointment for Give Kids a Smile, call the Indiana Dental Association at 1-800-562-5646.