Several hundred Northern California children left with brighter smiles after receiving free dental check-ups and oral health screenings offered by the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry. As part of the American Dental Association’s Give Kids a Smile initiative, the school hosted oral health events at sites in Stockton, San Francisco and Union City. Faculty, students, residents and staff volunteered their time at the outreach programs and provided thousands of dollars in oral health services to the public.

The school’s Hutto Patterson Pediatric Dentistry Clinic treated more than 80 children during a day of screenings and evaluations, fluoride applications, health tips, tooth fairy visits and a petting zoo outside on the plaza. At Pacific’s Chan Family Health Learning Center’s event in Stockton, co-hosted by the San Joaquin Dental Society, nearly 200 children received free dental screenings and participated in face painting and other fun activities. Students, faculty, staff and numerous volunteers provided $36,854 worth of free care at another event held at Pacific’s Union City Dental Care Center and co-hosted by the Southern Alameda County Dental Society.

The Give Kids a Smile program was launched by the American Dental Association in 2003 as a way to encourage dentists to reach out to their communities by providing dental services to underserved children. More than 1,500 events were planned throughout the country this year, reaching an estimated 345,000 children.