FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, Feb. 4, 2019
Contact: Sheanna M. Spence, Director of External Affairs, School of Medicine, 304-691-1639
Marshall Health, local dentists to provide free dental care for Tri-State children Feb. 22
Give Kids A Smile dental clinic underscores critical need in region
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall Dentistry and Oral Surgery has teamed up with the Give Kids A Smile® initiative to provide underserved and uninsured children with free dental services on Friday, Feb. 22, from 8 to 3 p.m. at its office located at 1616 13th Avenue, Suite 200, in the Fairfield Building in Huntington.
Nearly one in four children under the age of five already has cavities, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many children enrolled in Medicaid receive no dental services throughout the year. Give Kids A Smile is a national initiative founded by the American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation that partners with local dentists and organizations to:
- Provide free, easily accessible dental services to qualifying individuals.
- Raise awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease occurring locally and nationally and create local public and private partnerships to increase access to oral health care to solve this crisis.
This is the first year Marshall Health has hosted the event to provide free dental care to local children who desperately need it. Joining Drs. Raj Khanna, William Myers, Joey Roy and Malav Shah of Marshall Dentistry and Oral Surgery for the event will be several local dentists, including Dr. Dallas Nibert.
The ADA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile program was launched nationally in 2003 as a way for dentists to join with others in the community to provide dental services to underserved children. Each year, about 350,000 to 400,000 children benefit from more than 1,500 events, all because of the efforts of 40,000 annual volunteers nationwide.
“Preventive care is critical to maintaining good dental health and overall well-being,” said Raj K. Khanna, DMD, M.D., chair of the department of dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. “This event is not only an opportunity to provide necessary dental care to children who desperately need it; it’s an opportunity to educate the children and their parents/guardians on proper oral hygiene and how to prevent decay.”
The Give Kids A Smile event is open to any child 18 years of age and younger from a low-income family with no dental insurance. Patients will be seen by appointment only. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call Marshall Dentistry and Oral Surgery at 304-691-1247.
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