7th Year of Free Dental Program for Kids

Brings Good News in Bad Times
Posted: December 18, 2008
7th Year of Free Dental Program for Kids
Brings Good News in Bad Times

The New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA), in cooperation with the New Jersey Dental Hygienists’ Association, the New Jersey Dental Assistants’ Association and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School (UMDNJ) will be hosting the 7th Annual Give Kids A Smile Program on Friday, February 6, 2009 at more than 70 locations across the state.  On this day, children ages 12 and under will receive free dental care at any of the particpating locations. The program targets children who otherwise do not have regular access to dental care. A list of participating locations, by county, can be found at http://www.njda.org/gkas, along with other important information about the program.
 
 The signs of the economic times are telling. Record numbers are posted nearly every month for jobless rates and home foreclosures, and entire industries are falling into ruin.  With so many experiencing such hard times and some families opting to forgo neessary doctor visits due to tight budgets,  its good to know that the 100% free Give Kids A Smile program is still going strong and more than 1,000 volunteer dental professionals are gearing up for whay could be their busiest year ever.
 
“With the economy in crisis, a family’s healthcare problems are exacerbated,” says Dr. Cavan Brundsen, an Old Bridge pediatric dentist and the statewide chair of Give Kids A Smile. “We understand that many more families will be needing this program this year and our volunteers are prepared to deliver the care.”
 
New Jersey runs one of the most successful Give Kids A Smile programs in the country. Since its inception in 2003, the New Jersey program has seen more then 13,000 children and delivered more than $2.3 million is free dental care. The UMDNJ location in Newark is one of the largest sites in the country, seeing nearly 1,000 children on this one day. For 2009, 19 of New Jersey’s 21 counties are represented with at least one particpating site.
 
Each year, nearly 50,000,000 school hours are lost because because of dental pain.  Children from low-income families are twice as likely to miss school because of dental pain. Children who are in pain often cannot chew food properly, if at all, and are much less likely to be able to pay attention and learn in class.  These children often are unable to express the extent of their dental pain because they have been living with it so long and have become accustomed to it.  Give Kids A Smile seeks to address this issue of access to care by actually deliviering care to those who need it. It is the hope of the dental profession that Give Kids A Smile can begin to drive others to work together with government and private enterprise to end the healthcare disparaties that plague us all.
 
The New Jersey Dental Association (NJDA), a constituent organization of the American Dental Association, is among the largest state dental associations in the country. Founded in 1870, the NJDA is headquartered in North Brunswick and serves and supports its more than 4,800 members and fosters the advancement of quality, ethical oral healthcare for the public. Two thirds of all licensed practicing dentists in the state are members of the NJDA
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