Each year Roseman University’s College of Dental Medicine at both our Henderson and South Jordan campuses participates in Give Kids a Smile®, a national event organized by the American Dental Association. It began in 2003 as a way for dentists across the country to join with others in their community to provide dental services to underserved children. It was initially a one-day event in February and has grown to include national and local events year-round. Approximately 350,000 children receive treatment at 1,500 events with more than 40,000 people volunteering their time to participate.
Roseman’s orthodontic residents, faculty and staff in Henderson, Nevada participated this year in the southern Nevada prescreening event on January 21. The main Give Kids a Smile® event for southern Nevada will be held on Saturday, February 4. At the prescreening event, Roseman residents, faculty and staff were able to screen kids that were in need of dental care. The children were from Tom Williams Elementary, Sunrise Acres Elementary and C.P. Squires Elementary.
“It is always a pleasure participating in an event that helps so many of our local children in need of dental care,” said Dr. Jaleh Pourhamidi, dean of the College of Dental Medicine, Henderson, Nevada campus and program director of the Advanced Education in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AEODO/MBA) Residency Program.
Roseman University along with UNLV School of Dental Medicine, Nevada Dental Association, Henry Schein Dental, Pact-One and Southern Nevada Dental Hygienist Association, along with others, are sponsors of this year Las Vegas event. A full list of sponsors can be found here.
Roseman’s College of Dental Medicine South Jordan, Utah campus will be hosting their own Give Kids a Smile® event this Friday, February 3 from 9 to 4 pm at our Dental Clinic located at 10894 S River Front Pkwy, South Jordan, UT 84095.
Dental screenings and cleanings will be provided free to qualifying children ages 18 and under in an effort to raise awareness about the importance of oral healthcare and help stop the spread of untreated dental decay. Untreated dental decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease in the U.S. and it affects about 17 million children every year.
Those who attend the event in Utah on Friday will also leave with a voucher for free x-rays and $50 of care which may be used at the Dental Clinic at Roseman University for future treatment. The voucher is non-transferable and must be used within six months of event. All dental work will be supervised by Roseman University faculty members who are licensed Utah dentists. Student dentists will also provide parents with education and information about proper oral healthcare for children.
Every $1 spent on prevention for oral health issues saves taxpayers $50 in restorative and emergency procedures for individuals who lack dental insurance or are underinsured, according to the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation.
“Last year, Roseman’s South Jordan event saw over 400 children and we hope to see the same amount this year,” said Dr. Ferguson, director of public health sciences education at Roseman University South Jordan campus.
Roseman South Jordan Update
At Roseman’s Give Kids a Smile® event at our South Jordan campus, our dental students and faculty saw a total of 565 patients. 85% of them have no dental insurance, 48% had untreated decay, and 57% had not seen a dentist in over a year.
Rachael Wadley, MBA
Marketing Director – South Jordan campus
Roseman University of Health Sciences