Free Dental Cleanings and Exams available for children through “Give Kids a Smile Day” at UMA Dental Health Clinic
The University of Maine at Augusta Dental Health Clinic is hosting its annual “Give Kids A Smile Day” in partnership with the American Dental Association on Friday, February 21 from 8:00am – 5:00pm at the UMA Dental Hygiene Clinic located on UMA’s Bangor campus at 201 Texas Avenue in Bangor.
Children ages one to 18, who do not have a dentist, can schedule free dental appointments to get cleanings, exams, x-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, and dental hygiene education. Students from UMA’s Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs will be conducting the appointments with the aid of local volunteer dentists and faculty members from UMA’s Dental Health Programs.
To make an appointment, contact Bonny Largay at 262-7872.
Event History
The American Dental Association reports that over 4 million children have received care through Give Kids a Smile Programs. “The American Dental Association launched the Give Kids a Smile program nationally in 2003 as a way for dentists across the country to join with others in their community to provide dental services to underserved children. The program initially began as a one-day event in February but has since grown to local and national events year-round. Dentists and other team members volunteer their time, and services, to provide screenings, treatments, and education to children throughout the United States. Each year, approximately 350,000 children benefit from more than 1,500 events, all because of the efforts of 40,000 or more annual volunteers.”
Last year, the 2019 UMA Bangor Dental Health Program’s event provided free dental services to approximately 47 children; the value of the donated services totaled approximately $12,700! In summary, all children were seen by a Maine licensed dentist for an exam and our UMA students provided all the other preventive dental services. Last year, our UMA students provided over 30 prophylaxis cleanings, placed 24 dental sealants and took 33 sets of X-Rays.