CFHC participates in national Give Kids a Smile Day
Feb. 3, 2009
Healthy teeth are important to a child’s overall health. Children, as they are growing up, need to be taught how to prevent oral health problems and how to keep their teeth and gums healthy. However access to oral health care for low-income children continues to be a problem. In an effort to bring awareness to the issue of providing accessible, affordable oral healthcare to the children served by Chicago Family Health Center, we have teamed up with the American Dental Association in Give Kids a Smile Day®
As part of the regular services offered by Chicago Family Health Center, children dental screenings and exams are performed daily at two of CFHC’s four clinics. “The organization’s participation in this event is to bring awareness to a healthcare issue that impacts our community everyday, the accessibility of oral healthcare for everyone,” Dr. Francis Tham, Dental Director for Chicago Family Health Center said. “Chicago Family is one of the few dental providers in the community who provide comprehensive, quality oral healthcare regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.” In addition to the one day event, Chicago Family Health Center will be holding two other children dental screenings events during the month of February.
Activities for Give Kids a Smile Day will include both health education as well as teeth cleanings. During the visit, the children will meet the Chicago Family Health Center’s dental staff who will give a presentation on good oral hygiene. After, individual children will receive a dental cleaning and screening for cavities or other possible dental problems. “Annual dental cleanings are an important tool in preventive care,” Warren Brodine, CEO of Chicago Family Health Center said. “Untreated dental issues may lead to problems in eating, speaking, and sleeping. Poor oral health among children has been tied to poor performance in school and poor social relationships- it’s important that all children have access to dental care at an early age.”
Annual dental cleanings are an important tool in preventative care. Untreated dental issues can cause a myriad of problems: social and physical. Untreated oral diseases may lead to problems in eating, speaking, and sleeping. Poor oral health among children has been tied to poor performance in school and poor social relationships. Children with chronic dental pain may have difficulty concentrating, poor self-image, and problems completing schoolwork. Children with early childhood dental problems also often weigh less.
The Give Kids A Smile® name was first used by the Greater St. Louis Dental Society and a group of dentists who set up a temporary full-service clinic that treated nearly 400 children over two days in February 2002. Since then the program has grown enormously, and in 2007 resulted in treatment of over 758,000 children. Events took place at approximately 2,250 locations across the nation, with over 39,000 dental team volunteers and 14,400 dentists, providing free services to underserved children.
