The ADA’s 2018 Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) will kick off on Friday, February 2 at the Ohio State University College of Dentistry, which competed against five other dental schools nationwide for the honor. Since 2012, the college has hosted biannual events that have provided dental treatment for 1,100 children in Ohio in total with more than $318,000 in free dental care.
“We are pleased and proud that our collective efforts have been recognized in this way. We know our success with Give Kids a Smile is due in large part to the fact that this initiative is led by students who gain leadership experience and who will also be more likely to engage in GKAS events after they become dental professionals,” said Patrick Lloyd, DDS, MS, dean of the school.
Launched nationally by the ADA in 2003, GKAS has provided free oral services to more than 5.5 million underserved children. About 10,000 dentists and 30,000 other dental professionals take part in GKAS events each year. GKAS has 1,199 events scheduled for 2018, targeting 275,848 children, along with 6,253 dentists and 21,851 volunteers signed up so far.
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