Dr. Adriana Torena with her young patients during Give Kids A Smile® 2010
Four hundred and forty-six (446) children have received free dental care through Give Kids A Smile® (GKAS) 2010, organized by the Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT) through a strategic partnership between the Bridgeport Dental Association (BDA).
Sixty-three (63) private practice dentists from Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, New Haven, Orange, Shelton, Stratford, and Trumbull provided a range of dental services from cleanings, flouride treatments and sealants, to fillings, crowns, pulpotomies, root-canals, extractions and even orthodontia. The children were identified by distributing (GKAS) flyers through Bridgeport and Stratford schools, social service agencies, local food pantries and homeless shelters. Parents, guardians and social workers called our office to register their children, and were given appointments with a dentist suited to meet the child’s needs, using a custom-designed GKAS database. Appointments also took language and transportation needs, and parents’ work schedules into consideration.
Nationally, GKAS® is observed on the first Friday in February. Due to the tremendous volunteer response of the dental community, the free care was offered throughout the month of February, and early March. Many children are continuing to be seen, so the volunteer dentists can complete all the care that the children need.
Testimonials from grateful parents:
“This is a great program!
“Wonderful experience! Thank you for your kindness, generosity and patience!!”
“Great job! Thank you!! God Bless. Have it run more than once a year!”
Testimonials from Dentists:
“Everything ran very smoothly”
“It was nice to help people☺”
“Very well run, very satisfying, patients were extremely appreciative”
About Vani
