Free dental service program for kids expected to draw 150 patients

NEW HAVEN – An estimated 150 children from local low-income families will receive free dental services Saturday from the staff at Levy Dental Group at 921 State St.


Services will include screenings, cleanings, examinations, x-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants, extractions and fillings. The staff at Levy Dental Group is volunteering for the day as part of national Give Kids A Smile® Day.

Click here to see video of and read about last year's event

Last year, more than 44,000 dental team members nationwide participated in Give Kids A Smile®, a program first held in 2003 by the American Dental Association to provide care and raise awareness of the importance of access to dental care for poor children, according to a statement.

“It’s heartbreaking to see a child’s smile destroyed by severe tooth decay,” Dr. John Levy, head of Levy Dental Group, said, also in the statement. “Imagine not being able to eat, sleep or pay attention in school because you have a mouthful of toothaches.

“Some children have reached the point where the only alternative is a mouth full of crowns or pulling the teeth that can’t be saved. It’s tragic,” he said.

Nearly one in four children, ages 2 to 11, have untreated cavities in their baby teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While poor diet and oral hygiene certainly play a role, cavities are actually caused by a disease called caries, which is five times more common than asthma, the statement said.

The National Institutes of Health reports that 80 percent of tooth decay is found in just 25 percent of children, primarily from low-income families, the statement said. Public health programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program are supposed to help underserved children, but utilization rates are low, the statement said. Many children enrolled in Medicaid receive no dental service in throughout the year.

Levy said, “With Give Kids A Smile, we can help some children get the dental care they need, but a one-day event will never be enough. Our event is not a cure-all, it’s a wakeup call to the needs of underserved children in Connecticut.”

Give Kids A Smile® would not be possible without the generous support of corporate sponsors, who provided more than $2.8 million in products and services for the 2010 events nationwide. Our local New Haven area sponsors include, Colgate-Palmolive, Henry Schein Dental, DEXIS Digital X-ray and Vine Products, the statement said.

Those interested in signing up can call 203-865-2245, ext. 28 or e-mail sherry@levydental.com