GIVE KIDS A SMILE INSPIRES STUDENTS TO DONATE DENTAL HYGIENE SUPPLIES
Students at an elementary school in Springfield have collected thousands of dental hygiene supplies to donate to people in need after learning about oral health as part of the Give Kids A Smile program.
“Participating in Give Kids A Smile affects children by helping them feel excited about taking care of their teeth. And they are motivated to help others,” said Joan Elder, program coordinator for the Community Health Foundation. “Not only are children affected – adults, administrators and policy makers have become advocates for oral health. As with many urban communities, we are not able to meet the need for dental care due to a provider shortage. Give Kids A Smile allows us to promote good dental hygiene as a preventive measure. We are truly grateful for the support offered to our community!”
The Community Health Foundation, a non-profit organization in Cincinnati, provides resource packets and Give Kids A Smile supplies to elementary schools during the month of February as part of Children’s Dental Health Month.
Lincoln Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher Aimee Newton used the resources to teach her students about oral health, including how to brush and floss and what types of foods are good for your teeth.
“In our low-income school, one of the main reasons students go to the clinic is for toothaches,” Newton said. “As February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, I really wanted to focus on teaching the importance of tooth care and what the students themselves can do to take care of their own teeth. During one of our discussions, students were talking about how a few of them have been to the dentist. I mentioned how it is very important to take care of your teeth at home first, especially since some people have never been or can’t go to the dentist.”
The students asked her some questions about what kind of people don’t go to the dentist, and Newton explained that some people are unable to afford to go to the dentist and may not even have a toothbrush or toothpaste. After hearing about this, the students wanted to help out and suggested that they could bring in dental supplies to give to people in need. Their idea turned into a school-wide dental supply drive.
“The students wanted to make it a competition, so we set it up and my students counted, graphed, and sorted all of the items collected,” Newton said.
The students brought in over 2,000 items including toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash and dental floss. The items are being donated to homeless organizations in Springfield such as the Springfield Soup Kitchen.
“I had parents first mention their appreciation for the lessons on dental care and then many parents were excited to participate in the dental drive,” Newton said. “Some mentioned their thankfulness for the toothbrushes and especially the two-minute timer they received. For the drive I even had one family donate over 500 items themselves. Parents were very impressed with their students’ kindness and drive to help others, and were amazed to see how many items we were able to collect.”
The Community Health Foundation started an oral health initiative in 2016 and held its first Give Kids A Smile event in Springfield in 2017.
“Springfield is among the cities in Ohio which does not have a fluoridated community water system,” Elder said. “This contributes to high rates of dental disease among our residents. Despite three ballot attempts to approve fluoridation (the last one spearheaded by CHF), Springfield voters have declined the issue.”
The initial Give Kids A Smile events were in-person events that included cleanings, exams and fluoride applications as part of local health fair events. Due to the COVID pandemic, the Community Health Foundation adjusted to provide an education-only outreach event.
This year, the Community Health Foundation provided resource packets and Give Kids A Smile supplies to 14 different schools and reached at least 420 children.
“The best part of Give Kids A Smile is the enthusiasm of teachers and children,” Elder said. “In the packets to schools, we include suggested activities and resources for teachers, the dental care supplies provided by Give Kids A Smile, and a book about dental health. (‘I Brush My Teeth’ and ‘Dudley Goes to the Dentist’ have been used.) We have found that teachers and school administrators also react favorably and have a renewed interest in providing dental services for their students. For example, the Springfield City School system now offers mobile dental care at all of its 17 buildings and is active with the Clark County Oral Health Coalition.”
Through the Give Kids A Smile program, created by the American Dental Association, dentists and dental professionals across the state and nation volunteer their time throughout the year to provide screenings, treatments and oral health education to children. In 2023, more than 1,300 volunteers plan to donate more than $550,000 in oral health care and education to more than 25,000 children in Ohio.
