JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
“Give Kids a Smile 2017” is an opportunity for parents to bring their children to the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Dental Clinic for dental exams and cleanings and will highlight Children’s Dental Health Month activities planned by the clinic in February.
“Give Kids a Smile,” scheduled for 7:30-11 a.m. Feb. 10, will kick off the month’s events. The month will also feature presentations by dental clinic staff members from 8:30-11 a.m. Feb. 13-14 at the Child Development Program main building on New B Street West; 9:30-11 a.m. Feb. 15 at the JBSA-Randolph Library on Fifth Street East; all day Feb. 17 at Randolph High School; and all day Feb. 21 at Randolph Elementary School.
“The purpose of our Children’s Dental Health Month events is to encourage proper oral hygiene from infancy to adolescence,” said Staff Sgt. Lesa Smith, 359th Aerospace-Medicine Squadron NCO in charge of dental logistics. “This year we are reaching out to high school students in addition to children at the CDP and the elementary school.”
“Give Kids a Smile” will provide children ages 1-13 a free dental exam and children ages 4-13 a free cleaning. Parents who have base access should call the dental clinic at 652-1846 to make an appointment, but space is limited.
“The ‘Give Kids a Smile’ event is intended to provide free, desperately needed dental services,” said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Stephen Gasparovich, Air Force Personnel Center Dental Utilization Section chief. “It is part of the American Dental Association’s ‘Give Kids a Smile’ program. Last year, more than 46,000 team members nationwide participated.”
Six dentists from the JBSA-Randolph Dental Clinic and five dentists from other JBSA organizations will conduct the dental examinations and there is the possibility of referral for treatment to the Dunn Dental Clinic at JBSA-Lackland, Smith said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates nearly one in four children ages 2 to 11 has untreated cavities in their baby teeth, while the National Institutes of Health reports 80 percent of tooth decay is found in just 25 percent of children, primarily from low-income families, Gasparovich said.
“This event will raise awareness of the epidemic of untreated dental disease occurring here and across the country and raise awareness of the need to build local and public partnerships to increase access to oral health care to solve this crisis,” he said.
Presentations at the CDP and elementary school will be geared to younger children, Smith said.
“At the elementary school, we will show videos featuring the American Dental Association’s Dudley the Dinosaur and talk about nutrition, oral health and how to properly brush and floss,” she said. “The information provided will be age-appropriate for the elementary school and CDP.”
The presentation at the library will be geared to parents and will be similar to the dental briefing given at the Military & Family Readiness Center’s Bundles for Babies program for expectant parents, Smith said.
Oral health will be the focus at the high school, she said.
“For the high school students, the presentations will be geared toward the snack foods and energy drinks they consume and how they affect their oral health,” Smith said. “We’ll also talk about tobacco cessation.”
Oral health should be an emphasis early in life, even before the first tooth erupts, Smith said. A baby’s gums should be wiped with a clean, warm wash cloth or gauze pad after each feeding, and a child’s bottle should not be filled with liquids such as sugar water, juices and soft drinks because of the damage sugar can do to teeth.
Brushing should begin with a non-fluoride toothpaste, prior to 2 years of age, when the first tooth erupts and flossing should start when two teeth have erupted next to each other, she said.
Visits to the dentist should also start early.
“We recommend taking children to the dentist when they’re 1 year old,” Smith said. “This allows children to acclimate to a dental environment so they feel comfortable and it becomes routine by age 3.”