MELVILLE, New York--For the seventh consecutive year, Henry Schein, Inc., a distributor of health-care products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European markets, has partnered with the American Dental Association, Colgate-Palmolive Company, and DEXIS to support Give Kids A Smile.
The GKAS program provides free dental services and educational programs for approximately 500,000 underserved children at some 1,700 locations across the United States.
More than 44,000 dental team volunteers will participate in events including in-school brushing demonstrations, community screening and treatment programs, and free private dental care.
Henry Schein Dental, the U.S. Division of Henry Schein, serves as the exclusive professional product sponsor of Give Kids A Smile Day. With the commitment and support of 38 supplier partners, Henry Schein provided 3,000 oral health-care screening and prevention kits to the program. Each kit contains supplies to serve 50 children.
"Team Schein members take tremendous pride in the impact that the Give Kids A Smile program has on children's lives every year," said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Henry Schein.
"As a flagship program of Henry Schein Cares, our global social responsibility program, Give Kids A Smile is exemplary of the power of public-private partnerships. By harnessing our own core competencies and building on our relationships with our generous supplier partners, we are able to capitalize on our collective strength and have a powerful impact on local communities in need," Bergman added.
Give Kids A Smile highlights the ongoing challenges that underserved children face in accessing dental care, and helps build support among policy makers for public and private solutions that will provide regular access to oral health care.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tooth decay affects children in the United States more than any other chronic infectious disease. Untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that may lead to serious problems including difficulty eating, speaking, and learning.
Children and adolescents living under the poverty line suffer twice as much tooth decay as other children, and their disease is more likely to go untreated.
Due to the success of Give Kids A Smile Day, the ADA has expanded the one-day initiative into a year-round effort to increase access to dental care for underserved children.
A National Advisory Board was formed to further develop the program, focusing on three primary areas: program enhancement, fundraising, and hosting an annual Promising Practices Symposium at which similar programs could share best practices.
Steve Kess, Henry Schein's vice president of global professional relations, serves as chair of the ADA's Give Kids A Smile National Advisory Board.
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