National ‘Give Kids A Smile Day’ to Serve Uninsured Children and Families

A female child in a dental child while a female dentist conducts a dentist appointment.

Public Health will participate in National Give Kids A Smile Day, offering free dental services to Mecklenburg County children. In partnership with Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), this community health equity event will serve children ages 0 – 17, with an overall expected attendance of more than 200 residents. Public Health and other community partners will provide no cost dental care, dental screenings, vision screenings, and other family resources.  

“We are so excited to serve our community, especially the children who need us the most,” said Raydiance Swanston, Mecklenburg County Public Health Pediatric Dental Clinic manager. “We want to provide these vital oral health services to families who do not have health insurance. We will provide dental services on-site as well as dental screenings. We will also provide vision screenings to assess the need for glasses. While the event is focused on serving children, we are also ready to serve the entire family.”

North Carolina data shows that 11.3% of kindergartners in Region IV, including Mecklenburg County, have tooth decay. Dental disease in children can be reduced effectively through prevention initiatives for oral health. Such efforts will also reduce the loss of learning time. About 25% of children in Mecklenburg County are found to have untreated cavities in their permanent teeth, with the majority coming from low-income families. 

“I am proud of our collective efforts to bring Give Kids A Smile Day back to Mecklenburg County again this year,” said Dr. Raynard Washington, Mecklenburg County Public Health director. “We are excited and thankful for the partnership with CPCC allowing our teams to help more children and families than ever before.”

The Give Kids A Smile Day event will provide all services as well as make available health and wellness information to all families in English and Spanish.

Give Kids A Smile Day