Children around the region have learned that a visit to a
dentist can put smiles on their faces. Last month, faculty, students and staff
of the
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine once more volunteered
for the
American Dental Association’s Give Kids A Smile Day, an effort to
provide dental services including cleanings, X-rays and exams to uninsured
children. Tooth extractions, fillings and restorative care were provided as
well.
Heiko Spallek, D.M.D., Ph.D., associate dean at the dental school,
commemorated the busy day in a video. More than 80 children – and some teddy
bears –were treated by dental and dental hygiene students, residents and
faculty in several Salk Hall clinics, which were decorated with an underwater
motif in keeping with this year’s “Sea of Smiles” theme (or as one
colorful poster put it, “Sea Our
Smile”). During the last 10 years, the dental school has provided more than
$100,000 of free dental care through the program.