JOINT BASE SAN ANOTNIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
The Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Dental Clinic is reaching out to the youngest members of the community this month with a special event and presentations that will focus on the importance of oral health.
The Children’s Dental Health Month activities will begin with the annual Give Kids a Smile Day from 7:30 a.m. to noon Feb. 8 at the clinic, 221 Third St. West, building 1040.
The event raises awareness about the importance of oral health and allows dentists and technicians to provide free oral health education, screenings and treatment to underserved children. Appointments may be made by calling the clinic at 210-652-1846, but slots are now only available for children 6 months to 3 years old.
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in four children ages 2 to 11 years has untreated cavities in their baby teeth,” said Lt. Col. (Dr.) Stephen Gasparovich, Air Force Personnel Center Dental Utilization Section chief. “The National Institutes of Health report that 80 percent of tooth decay is found in just 25 percent of children, primarily from low-income families. 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.”
Give Kids a Smile Day will not only provide children ages 1-13 years from active-duty and retired military families a free dental exam and cleaning, but they may also be selected for dental treatment at JBSA-Lackland’s residency programs.
The American Dental Association Foundation launched the Give Kids a Smile program in 2003 as a way to join with others in the community to provide dental services to underserved children. Each year, about 350,000 to 400,000 children benefit from more than 1,500 events, all because of the efforts of 40,000 or more annual volunteers nationwide.
Dentists and technicians from the JBSA-Randolph clinic will also provide outreach as part of the health care facility’s Children’s Dental Health Month observance, visiting the Child Development Center Feb. 13, Randolph Elementary School Feb. 14, Randolph High School Feb. 19 and the JBSA-Randolph Library Feb. 20.
“The purpose of the presentations is to educate preschool and school-age children on the importance of oral health, but we also want to make the presentations fun, hands-on events,” said Capt. (Dr.) Jessica DeFazio, 359th Aerospace Medicine Squadron dentist. “We’ll show them how to brush and floss their teeth, and we’ll talk about hygiene and nutrition.”
Nutrition is an emphasis because so many of today’s foods have hidden sugars, DeFazio said.
“Fruit juices can be really harmful to your teeth because many of them have added sugar,” she said. “Fruit snacks and energy bars can also contain a lot of sugar.”
Oral health education is a key aspect of preventive care and critical to maintaining good dental health and overall wellbeing, DeFazio said. Parents are also important in supporting their children’s oral health, which can result in less dental treatment, she said.
A child’s first trip to the dentist should be scheduled when the first tooth erupts, DeFazio said.
“First dental checkups can have a huge impact on children,” she said. “We want to create a positive first impression on the children so they will look forward to seeing a dentist regularly and at the same time educate parents to help their children form healthy dental habits and make smart nutritional choices.”
Early detection can also avoid serious dental problems in the future, DeFazio said.
“Delaying the first dental visit can allow cavities to develop undetected, resulting in an unpleasant experience, especially if the child is in pain.”