Carbondale Reporter

Featuring fun, food and fluoride, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's School of Dental Medicine in Alton invites families with kids 3-13 to Give Kids a Smile Day, 7:30 a.m. to noon Oct. 10.

 

The school will perform a service both for its students and the surrounding community with this 11th annual free event in the school's main clinic in Building 263. 

 

The comprehensive dental care, completely free to the public, will include examinations, X-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings and extractions. Families are advised to bring snacks for their young ones, as wait times will vary. On average, the clinic sees over 200 children during the event.

 

“We are once again prepared to treat approximately 300 children and hope that the children needing urgent dental care will be able to use this wonderful opportunity to receive treatment,” Dr. Poonam Jain, a professor and director of community dentistry at the school, said. “Each child must be accompanied by a parent or guardian in order to be treated. Apart from dental treatment, fun educational activities and light snacks will be available for all children.”

 

Services are provided by SIU faculty, staff and dental students in addition to many volunteers from the surrounding community, including the Madison and St. Clair dental societies, Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey, and the Missouri College of Assisting in St. Louis, Missouri.

 

Give Kids a Smile Day is a national event sponsored by the American Dental Association.