Samuels Sinclair Dental Center at Rhode Island Hospital Helps “Give Kids A Smile”
(posted March 2, 2010)
The eighth annual national “Give Kids a Smile Day” (GKAS) was celebrated locally with nearly 100 underserved, underinsured children receiving dental care at the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center at Rhode Island Hospital - care they may not otherwise have received. GKAS, the highlight of National Children’s Dental Health Month, is a one-day event that relies on dentists, hygienists and dental centers nationally to volunteer their time to provide dental care to low-income children. It also highlights the importance of adequate dental coverage for children’s health and calls attention to the lack of dental care and coverage for many children.
Local children received dental screenings, oral examinations, radiographs, cleanings, fillings and educational materials at the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center at Rhode Island Hospital. The Rhode Island Dental Association (RIDA) hosted the event in collaboration with the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center. Several dentists and specialists from many dental offices and clinics throughout the state donated their time as part of the national initiative to provide care to underserved children.
A brief speaking program kicked off the event and included comments from Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts; Rhode Island Hospital president and chief executive officer Timothy J. Babineau, MD; Francis Connor, Jr. DDS, chief of the division of dentistry and oral & maxillofacial surgery and Shirley Spater Freedman, DMD, MPH, director of the dental center.
“Give Kids a Smile Day is a wonderful opportunity to bring much-needed attention to the problems facing children whose families cannot afford dental care,” said Spater. “In addition to providing desperately needed oral health services to many children, the goal of GKAS is to highlight the ongoing challenges that disadvantaged children and children with disabilities face in accessing dental care and to work with government officials and dentists to improve access to care for these families. As of today, 97 additional children now call Samuels their dental home.”
The Samuels Sinclair Dental Center has been providing dental services to underprivileged children and individuals with special needs for 80 years. The center is the site that launched the first GKAS program in Rhode Island and several event volunteers have returned each year as the event has evolved and grown.
Throughout the day, Paws, the Paw Sox mascot, visited with children and their families, along with pet therapy dogs Shayna and Ten who regularly visit patients at the hospital. In addition to sponsorship from RIDA, several other businesses and groups contributed to the event’s success, including Henry Schein Dental (national sponsor), Patterson Dental and Hasbro Inc., who donated games for the children to play and Mr. Potato Head stuffed toys to give to each child. Refreshments were provided by Texas Roadhouse, East Side Marketplace and the East Providence Shaw’s Supermarket.