March 18, 2021

ADA President Daniel J. Klemmedson, DDS, MD, thanked the national sponsors of Give Kids A Smile, Henry Schein, Inc. and Colgate-Palmolive, as well as eight other companies who contributed to the GKAS 2021 program, which will be held at the The right way is to support over 1,000 GKAS events nationwide this year.

“Your company’s contribution has helped improve the wellbeing of an underserved child mouth-to-mouth,” said Dr. Klemmedson in a letter dated March 1. “On behalf of all children affected by GKAS, we thank you for your support in ensuring that every child has a healthy smile.”

The companies he thanked for their generosity were: Henry Schein, Inc .; Colgate-Palmolive Company; 3M oral care; DENTSPLY Sirona; DMG America; Premier Dental Products Company; Pulpdent; Richmond Dental and Medical; Sunstar Americas, Inc .; and Young Dental.

“Dentistry is a gateway to our general health and wellbeing,” said Julie Charlestein, President and CEO of Premier Dental Products Company, which donated over $ 4 million to GKAS over the past 19 years, including its most recent donation of 10,000 Individual treatments with tooth enamel Pro varnish. “We want to make sure everyone – all communities and populations – has an opportunity to receive excellent oral health care.”

Since the GKAS program began, more than 6 million underserved children have received free oral health services through Give Kids A Smile.

In 2021, the 19th anniversary of the program, nearly 1,000 events, made up of over 8,100 dentists and approximately 17,000 dental team volunteers, signed up to provide oral health services to nearly 300,000 children. These events are planned this year with improved safety and infection control protocols.

“The Give Kids A Smile program has consistently demonstrated a relentless commitment to providing free oral health care to underserved children,” said Eric Wenzel, USAC director, 3M Oral Care Solutions Division. “At 3M we are inspired and motivated by the great work GKAS has done – especially over the past year – and we are honored to continue to support their efforts and do our part in helping the vulnerable populations who deserve it most. “

To ensure that events during the COVID-19 pandemic are safe and effective, ADA was able to provide GKAS program coordinators with planning resources, webinars, toolkits, and donated personal protective equipment to use after meeting with federal officials from the national Inventory had acquired Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Department of Health and the White House Task Force on COVID-19 Response in 2020.

Although the national opening ceremony for GKAS takes place on the first Friday in February during the National Month for Children’s Dental Health, events take place throughout the year, such as the GKAS back-to-school events in August.

For more information on Give Kids A Smile, visit ADA.org/gkas.