VCU School of Dentistry offers free dental treatment on Give Kids a Smile Day

By Jessica Ferreira
VCU Communications and Public Relations

The icy conditions in downtown Richmond did little to slow the flurry of activity in Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wood Memorial Building on Feb. 5 as parents and children lined the halls of the pediatric dental clinic, waiting patiently for their names to be called.

Even with a snow storm brewing outside, the dental health professionals in the VCU School of Dentistry’s Pediatric Dental Clinic provided free dental care to 94 children as part of Give Kids a Smile Day, an event created by the American Dental Association as an annual focus of National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Other events in the area were postponed due to the inclement weather, and although nearly 60 appointments were made through the clinic, the dental team welcomed a number of walk-in patients.

This is the third year that the VCU School of Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry has organized a Give Kids a Smile Day event, offering education and proper oral healthcare to children in need.

“We are reaching out to those people who don’t have insurance,” said Elizabeth J. Berry, D.D.S, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry.

“The parents are happy and the kids are out of pain and that’s what we like to see,” she said.

Dea Hamilton, a patient of the VCU School of Dentistry and mother of two, greatly appreciated the care during these rough economic times.

”I heard about this from my sister-in-law,” said Hamilton. “I don’t have insurance, and I like the people at VCU, so this was really helpful.” Hamilton brought both of her children Reece, 6, and Brady, 11, to take advantage of the free professional dental services.

Carl Atkins, a dental health professional in the Richmond community and a 1983 graduate of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, donated his time this year to work on the more complex cases that entered the clinic.

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry provides oral health evaluation, education and intervention to children from birth to age 16 and specializes in providing dental care to medically compromised and special needs children as well as otherwise healthy children. 

Give Kids a Smile is organized by the American Dental Association. In 2010, the program resulted in the treatment of more than 320,000 children. Events took place at more than 2,000 locations across the nation, with more than 12,000 participating dentists and 36,000 other volunteers providing free services to underserved children.

For more information, visit http://givekidsasmile.ada.org.