Journal of the Louisiana Dental Association

LDAfrom the editorDavid N. Austin, D.D.S.Editor, LDA JournalTry Not to SmileNational Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM)is celebrated during the entire month of February.NCDHM focuses on providing oral health education toall children despite their economic status. For example,this may include presentations to localschools, appearances in local media outlets,booths at health fairs or malls, etc.Give Kids A Smile Day (GKAS) is theannual centerpiece to NCDHM and isobserved on the first Friday in February.GKAS was designed to provide education,prevention and restorative care to lowincomechildren who do not have accessto care.The ADA set the 2008 GKAS asFebruary 1. However, Louisiana willcelebrate it on February 22, to avoid theMardi Gras and President’s Day holidays.The Give Kids A Smile name was firstused by the Greater St. Louis DentalSociety with a group of dentists who setup a temporary, full-service clinic thattreated nearly 400 children over two daysin February 2002.Since then, the program has grown enormously, andin 2007, resulted in treatment of over 758,000children. Events took place at approximately 2,250locations across the nation, with over 39,000 dentalteam volunteers and 14,400 dentists, providing freeservices to underserved children.GKAS is meant to accomplish two things, helpchildren get the dental care they so desperately needAND raise awareness that our children deserve a betterhealth care system that addresses their dental healthneeds. We need to educate parents andpolicymakers that good oral health is essentialto overall health. We need commonsense,market-based solutions and other reformsthat will encourage more dentists toparticipate in public insurance programs.Neither my children nor yours will goto bed tonight with unresolved oral healthissues. If that is true, then why should anychild have to suffer?If you have not been involved withGKAS in the past, I encourage you to do so.The child you will see will benefit greatlyfrom your expertise and the smile you willhelp create may last a lifetime. I can alsoguarantee one more thing: of all the smilesyou will help to make, the smile on yourown face will be the most satisfying.Many dentists across Louisiana hostevents in their own offices. If you are interested indoing so or in volunteering at someone else’s event,contact Annette at the LDA office at (800) 388-6642or annette@ladental.org.tLDA Annual Session and New Orleans Dental ConferenceOnlineRegistrationOpensJan. 1, 2008April 10 - 12, 2008Ernest N. Morial Convention CenterNew Orleans, LAwww.nodc.org2 LDA Journal