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UPDATE – As of Monday, February 9, 2009:, statistics for this year’s GKAS are as follows…

1686 Programs
451521 Kids Treated
12139 Participating Dentists
32512 Other Volunteers

Children’s caries is on the rise. Through the ADA’s Give Kids a Smile program, dentists, hygienists, and dental professionals across the nation are battling this problem by providing free dental care to underprivileged children. Some big names in oral healthcare products and dental technology have joined the crusade, as well. In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month, DentalBlogs interviewed American Dental Hygienist Association President, Diann Bomkamp.

What you need to know:

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s press release last month states that most caregivers do not recognize how diet, sharing utensils, and other factors can impact oral health. They don’t know that starches are as prone to promote cavities as are sugars. In addition, most caregivers aren’t aware that oral bacteria can be transmitted to another person. While these things seem common sense to people who work in dentistry, statistics reveal that public education and awareness are lacking.

According to an ADA press release, 45K dental professionals will treat 500K children today during the seventh annual Give Kids a Smile Day. In April 2007, the CDC reported that after 50 years of good statistics, dental caries in young children, ages 2 to 5, began to rise. Less than 50% of kindergarteners have visited the dentist in the past year, and more than 50% of kids ages 6 to 8 have tooth decay. In addition to the dental professionals who will offer free services today, Colgate-Palmolive donated 300K toothbrushes and 300K tubes of toothpaste for the event. DEXIS is providing digital x-rays and support staff, as well. Henry Schein Dental donated professional kits with gloves, masks, bibs, floss, prophy paste, and fluoride products.

The DentalBlogs interview with Diann Baumkamp, President of the ADHA:

How long has National Children’s Dental Health month been in effect? The ADA started the program in 1949. The American Dental Hygienists Association has joined the efforts, and we also look forward to National Dental Health Month in October. The ADHA would like to give kudos to the ADA for their great work in the area of public awareness and community service. Give Kids a Smile is a huge success!

How is the ADHA involved in Give Kids a Smile? Our motto is, “Healthy Smiles that Last a Lifetime.” To this end, we are happy to participate with the ADA’s public awareness efforts. We want to highlight dental hygienists’ role in oral health. The ADHA has a goal that our members will work in partnership with dentists to advance the health of patients. We like to raise awareness for good dental health, now particularly with children.

How popular is Give Kids a Smile Day? The numbers for 2008 indicate that participating dentists treated over 480K children at 1,888 locations across the nation. Forty-seven thousand dental team members gave free services to underserved children on this day last year. The way this has blossomed nationwide has been wonderful. It helps us highlight the importance of oral health to overall health. We let parents, children, pregnant mothers, and caregivers know that if they keep the bacteria levels low in the mouth, people are healthier. We know that inflammation in the mouth is directly related to inflammation in the body, though we don’t know all elements involved. The one thing we can be sure of is the importance of oral health.

What can dental practices and hygienists do to get on board? The ADHA wants to spread preventive messaging on a local level. We encourage our members to participate with their dentists as partners toward improving children’s oral health. Go into classrooms, talk to teachers, nurses, children, and parents about children’s oral health. Give demonstrations, play games. Our ADHA website features fun and educational kids’ stuff. Encourage parents to bring their children to see the hygienist by age one so that you can work on good oral health habits early.

If you are a Give Kids a Smile participant, DentalBlogs applauds you! If you’d like to know more about getting on board, GKAS online.