10 <strong>SGVDS</strong> FILLING YOU IN SUMMER ’08
ADA National Campaign As you may know, the concept of the American <strong>Dental</strong> Association (ADA’s) National Campaign is to raise public awareness of what the U.S. Surgeon General has termed a “silent epidemic” of dental disease and to encourage parents, politicians and people who care about children to address this issue in their communities. The seriousness surrounding oral health is finally being realized; i.e., quoted from the LA Times Health Section/April 2007 Issue— “Heart disease, diabetes, stokes and other conditions may be linked to oral health. Physicians and insurers are taking notice.” The concept for this program first started in February of 2002 by a group of dentists as a two day awareness event. Thanks to the ADA, this campaign has now become a nationwide umbrella for all of the states to come under one name. In just five years, Give Kids A Smile ® became the ADA’s signature charitable event, involving nearly 10% of the ADA’s members and touching close to one million underserved children. <strong>Dental</strong> Associations and Societies within the nation are encouraged by the ADA each year to come up with their own goals, ideas and strategies to support this ongoing program. In 2003, our <strong>Society</strong> members conducted dental oral health assessments of children most needing urgent dental care at several schools within <strong>San</strong> <strong>Gabriel</strong> <strong>Valley</strong>. Over 100 children were offered the opportunity to receive free dental treatment from volunteer members. However, only 15 children were able to get to the dentist’s offices for treatment. In 2004, 40 members of our <strong>Society</strong> gathered together on the 2 nd Saturday in February at two centers stationed in Pasadena and in La Puente. Less than 100 children visited both locations to receive free dental assessments, oral health care education and free product. In 2005, the decision was made by our Community Health Committee and our five Area Zone Directors to “go to the children” rather than have the children come to us! Beginning on a small scale with this new approach, 550 children received assessments from 37 member volunteers that year. In 2006, volunteers from the <strong>SGVDS</strong>, the Chinese American <strong>Dental</strong> Association and the SGV Foundation for <strong>Dental</strong> Health joined forces. After evaluating the needs of 250 public schools within <strong>San</strong> <strong>Gabriel</strong> <strong>Valley</strong>, 41 volunteers screened, educated and provided referral information and goodie bags to 3,000 first grade children from low-income families, representing 43 schools in the community. Our <strong>Society</strong>’s vision was established at this point: To expand on the organizational strategies set forth by this year’s team of area directors, duplicating each volunteer to form numerous “teams” in order to reach all the first graders in our community that come from low-income families. In 2007, with the help of 66 volunteers, we screened 6,571 children from 69 schools within the <strong>San</strong> <strong>Gabriel</strong> <strong>Valley</strong>. A dental assisting student from the Citrus College <strong>Dental</strong> Assisting School showing children how to brush. Photo taken at Orangewood Elementary School, West Covina. Left Front: Dr. Mike Tanaka, Dr. Saeda Basta, Maria Matza RN. (West Covina School District), Jan Anderson (Kiwanis), Carol Scanlan (Kiwanis). Left Back: Dr. David Alfaro, Lea Steuve (West Covina School District), Harry Anderson (Kiwanis) <strong>SGVDS</strong> FILLING YOU IN SUMMER ’08 ® Dr. Patricia Donnelly is doing the examination. Her chairside assistant is the recorder. Continued on page 12 11
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