ADA News

Henry Schein Dental, the exclusive professional product sponsor of GKAS, kicked off the 2010 event with a guided tour of Gives Kids A Smile events in the area. Co-sponsors Colgate-Palmolive Co. and DEXIS Digital X-ray were on hand, along with representatives of Henry Schein's 40 supplier partners who have donated more than $10 million in value to GKAS since its inception.

"We were pleased to travel to the programs taking place at the New York University College of Dentistry, the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine," said Steve Kess, chair of the GKAS National Advisory Board and vice president of Global Professional Relations, Henry Schein Inc.

NYU: Dr. Charles Bertolami, dean of the New York University College of Dentistry, welcomes the bus tour Feb. 5. "This event does an excellent job of illustrating the amount of unmet dental need out there," he said.

"The presence of ADA President Ron Tankersley and other senior dental leaders at these events reinforces the tremendous work being done by these programs and thanks the school leadership and students for playing such an active role in addressing the oral health needs of children throughout the New York area," said Mr. Kess. "It also is an opportunity for all parties to see first-hand the great need for this program and similar services in our underserved communities."

For nationwide events, Colgate-Palmolive Co. supplied 300,000 toothbrushes and 300,000 tubes of toothpaste; DEXIS Digital X-ray donated the use of equipment and staff to U.S. dental schools that request that assistance; and Henry Schein Dental provided professional dental kits containing gloves, masks, patient bibs, dental floss, prophy paste and fluoride products for over 150,000 children at more than 1,800 locations.

"Having served as the chair of the Give Kids A Smile Advisory Board since its creation four years ago, I know the importance of this program in underscoring the need for oral health advocacy, education and treatment for underserved children across our country,” said Mr. Kess.

The message delivered at each of the three dental schools Feb. 5 "was the impact that poor oral health has on a child's overall quality of life and his or her ability to eat, sleep and learn," he said.

"It has been estimated that more than 51 million classroom hours are lost annually due to poor oral health," Mr. Kess stated. "By continuing to put the focus on this national health need, we hope to increase the sense of urgency for policymakers to advocate for additional resources that will advance the oral health of children from all segments of our society."