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Do Good: Helping Kids Smile, One X-ray At A Time by Candy Ross, RDH

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by Candy Ross, RDH


As a former hygienist, I learned early on the value of routine dental care. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work for companies that also value this care. DEXIS, for instance, has a long history of donating equipment and volunteer hours to give the poor better access to dental care. For me, the journey started in 2003 when Dr. Jeff Dalin called about getting involved with his outreach Give Kids A Smile. As a DEXIS owner, he was happy to hear that we would provide sensors for digital imaging. At that time, DEXIS (along with Henry Schein Dental) became a founding sponsor of Give Kids A Smile, and has continued its support each year.

At this event, and others like it (such as TeamSmile and Mission of Mercy), digital radiography is integral to the triage process. The patient goes through initial triage so the clinician can assess physical health. Then the patient’s mouth is checked to determine the need for dental X-rays. When needed, X-rays help the clinician to further diagnose the conditions that need immediate treatment.

Time management is imperative, especially at events like Mission of Mercy. Thousands of people line up to get in to this event, and patients start arriving as early as 2 a.m. to ensure that they will be seen that day. All ages are eligible to be treated during Mission of Mercy.

Organization is crucial for the flow through registration, triage and X-rays (if needed). Then the patient proceeds to the practitioner for restorative care, extractions, partials, dentures, or whatever is necessary. One wonderful contribution to efficiency is the NOMAD handheld X-ray unit by Aribex. If a patient needs an additional X-ray, we can run to the area with the X-ray unit and the sensor and don’t even have to move the patient out of the chair.

Helping kids smile
With TeamSmile or Give Kids a Smile, children arrive by bus, or the event is set up in a Title 1 school. Children file in by grade, and sometimes entertainment is provided to keep waiting kids engaged. The oral-surgery area is often the busiest. The need for extractions is indicative of the sad fact that many of these children have so little access to even the most basic dental care. Many of the dental problems result from poor nutrition and lack of oral hygiene. Some kids do not even own a toothbrush.

Certain children leave an indelible mark on my heart. At one recent event, a little boy, about 6 years old, arrived happy and with the biggest smile. He had no earthly idea of the terrible condition of his teeth. The dental team had to provide “tough love,” finishing as much dental work as possible while the child was in the chair. This little boy was in tears, needing anesthetic, multiple fillings and extractions—things that are so scary to a child. When he cried, we held onto him and battled through it with him. Thankfully after his treatment was finished, there were enough fun activities going on to take his mind off of his dental experience.

The haunting question remains: When that boy and all the other children leave, will they receive follow-up care? Will they ultimately find a dental home to maintain their teeth? Dental care and education is the goal of all of these programs.

Keeping it fun
I recently witnessed a stellar Give Kids a Smile event that took place at A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona. Dr. Jack Dillenberg, the inaugural dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, encourages his dental students to learn about serving the community. At this event, dental students were assigned tasks according to their class. First-year students were dressed up in fun costumes. If the children came out of the treatment area traumatized, they were immediately scooped up by a dental student in fun regalia and taken out to a place to play, sing, dance and interact. I have never seen anything like it. The dental students were so dedicated. Five-hundred kids were seen in one day. It was incredible.

I continue to volunteer and I encourage other clinicians and companies to do the same. Participation in outreach programs shows that Team DEXIS cares not only about developing quality imaging products, but also bringing the benefits of those products to those who do not have access to care. Hopefully in the future, with improved awareness and legislation, events like this will no longer be needed.





Candy Ross received her bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from the University of Rhode Island. She was employed as a research consultant at Forsyth Dental Research Institute and subsequently with Monsanto Company, and later worked with Teledyne Water Pik for many years. Ross is the director of industry and professional relations for KaVo Kerr Group, NA Equipment. She serves on multiple industry advisory boards and is active in outreach events.


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