COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Columbia college hosted a free dental event for children, which doubled as a learning opportunity for dental students.
Seven-year-old Jamir Jamison was one of the hundred-plus kids who got a dental checkup and cleaning for free on Saturday. It's part of a program called "Give Kids a Smile," run through the American Dental Association and hosted by Fortis College in Columbia. Michele Jones, the dental assistant program director at Fortis, said they used local schools and word of mouth to tell families about the event.
"A lot of the insurances limit the amount of treatments that they do for free, so this is an opportunity for parents who don't have insurance or have limited insurance, they can come and get their kids' teeth done for free," she says.
Dozens of kids came in and got checkups.
"[For] children aged 2 to 5 years, 17% of children from low-income households have untreated cavities in their primary teeth, three times the percentage of children from higher-income households," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. "By ages 12 to 19, 23% of children from low-income families have untreated cavities in their permanent teeth, twice that of children from higher-income households."
Dr. Aaron Crittendon said the need is significant in Columbia, which is part of the reason he volunteered his services on Saturday.
"[It's] one of those areas of the body often overlooked, but very necessary when we consider the mouth-body connection," Crittendon said. "It is very important, especially with the kids. It starts at that age to build those habits so they don't end up coming to see me later on in the future for extensive treatment,"
Latasha Jordan brought her daughter Alvynna to the cleaning and said she appreciated the flexibility and opportunity to help young dental assistants.
"[They] took her to the back, talked to the kids, asked them about different stuff and cleaned her teeth," Jordan said. "She really enjoyed it; she really enjoyed it."
Jamir said he even learned the important practices for keeping his teeth clean.
"Floss your teeth and brush your teeth every day," he said.
Fortis said it expects to host the "Give Kids a Smile" day again in 2025. The college encouraged the public to contact them if interested.
