Dear Friend,

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, and KinderSmile Foundation kicked it off by hosting its annual oral health fair, “Give Kids A Smile Day” (GKAS Day). While this was our 12th annual oral health fair, this year's event was uniquely held at a new venue, the Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center, which generously donated use of its beautiful space on February 1st.

A brief summary of our GKAS Day impact:

• 130 preschoolers engaged in oral health educated and free lunch
• 162 children ages 0-12 were provided free preventive dental services
• 42 volunteers donated their time & talent, with special thanks to the large groups of volunteers from Delta Dental & Bloomfield College.
• $60,000 approximate value of in-kind (free) services provided in total

More than half (62%) of children examined on GKAS Day were identified as needing follow-up with x-rays to rule out decay, possible fillings, extractions and/or recommended dental sealants. Thanks to a grant from the ADA Foundation, all uninsured kids identified on GKAS Day will continue to receive free dental care at KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center of Bloomfield until their treatment plans are complete and they are restored to optimal oral health status! We are proud to be one of only three national access-to-care programs chosen to receive these ADA Foundation grant.

GKAS Day was a huge success thanks to many volunteers and the sponsorship of Delta Dental Foundation of NJ and lunchtime apples & water donated by ShopRite of Brookdale. Thank you all for helping to give kids a dental head start in our community!

Click above to watch the GKAS Day 2019 highlight reel.

New Partnerships to Expand Access to Care

KinderSmile Foundation partners with approximately 30 local early childhood centers to bring “free” in-school dental care and oral health education to students who otherwise may struggle to visit the dentist. Recent developments have expanded the scope of our partnerships, including a new “toothbrush station” for special needs students at Horizon High School of Livingston, and interprofessional collaboration with YCS Institute to improve the total health (dental & mental) for our youngest patients.

For special needs students:

The Wrigley Company Foundation will support our implementation of "toothbrush stations" and educational sessions for caregivers at the Horizon High School of Livingston, NJ.  The "toothbrush station" will feature wide-handled toothbrushes for easy gripping by students with a variety of intellectual/developmental disabilities. Educational sessions customized for special needs caregivers at Horizon High School will help teachers, aides, and therapists to more easily incorporate dental hygiene into the daily routines of their students.

KinderSmile Foundation has implemented “toothbrush stations” at ARC Kohler School of Mountainside, NJ in the past, and our dentists see decreased incidence of childhood caries year after year due to this project. We hope to secure additional funds in order to replicate this simple but effective approach in more schools serving special needs students. 

Congratulations to Dorrie Gagnon for successfully proposing the "toothbrush station" project to the Wrigley Company Foundation! Dorrie, a member of the New Jersey Dental Hygienist Association, has been a KinderSmile Foundation volunteer for many years, but since her installation on the KSF Board of Trustees in 2018, she has devoted hundreds of hours of her time and talent to help bring more resources into our Oral Health Program. We are immensely grateful for her support.

For families with infants and toddlers:

KinderSmile Foundation and YCS Institute for Infant and Preschool Mental Health partnered to conduct interprofessional learning-sessions for their staff throughout the Fall, in order to improve the holistic health of their youngest patients. Nicole Whittam of KSF led a discussion about oral health milestones in early childhood, and many psychologists and social workers of YCS were surprised by the ADA recommendation to link babies with a dental home by age one. In turn, Dr. Leslie Lester of YCS presented the latest therapies available to strengthen infant-caregiver relationships, a crucial component to the healthy development of a child.

Dentists at KSF were eager for advice on making compassionate referrals for support services that would make their patients and parents feel empowered rather than criticized. Leadership of both organizations continue to discuss ways that their teams can share resources to best serve at-risk children of New Jersey.

Huge thanks to all of the readers who are part of the KinderSmile Foundation "family." It takes every member of our family—from donors to volunteers to school nurses to staff—in order to successfully make change in our community. Thank you for believing and supporting the change to ensure every child has access to a dentist. Together, we can eradicate preventable dental disease. #ItTakesAVillage