Give Kids a Smile Day set at SIU Dental Center

Openings are available for the annual Give Kids A Smile Day at Southern Illinois University.

The March 27 event is provided by the university’s dental hygiene program. The event is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the SIU Carbondale Community Dental Center, which is west of Banterra Center.

The free dental care is for children from infants to 14 years old who do not receive regular dental treatment and who do not have regular access to dental care.

In its 18th year, the program, which began in 2003 with about 50 children participating over two days, has grown to an average of about 240 children each of the past 10 years.

Participating children will receive dental examinations, x-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants and fillings, or simple extractions under special circumstances. 

The program also works to find a “dental home” for patients if there is a need for additional treatment.

Children can register for either the dental screening, vision screenings or both. 

While children can register the day of the event, appointments are preferred. 

To make an appointment, call the center at 618-453-8826 and specify the visit is for Give Kids a Smile Day.

Approximately 100 students and 16 faculty from the dental hygiene program, along with volunteer dentists and hygienists, will provide the free care.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry guidelines suggest that infants should visit a dentist when their teeth begin to emerge.

The dental hygiene program provides the service in conjunction with the Southern Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Society, Saluki Athletics and the Southern Illinois Dental Society. The program is in the SIU School of Health Sciences.