SAN ANTONIO,–(HISPANIC PR WIRE)–February 21, 2003–Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 (CHS 2010) and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) will provide free dental screenings to children in San Antonio on Saturday, February 22nd as part of their commitment to providing oral care access and education. This joint effort is part of the American Dental Association’s national “Give Kids A Smile” campaign to provide charitable services to children from low-income families who don’t have adequate access to oral health care. The UTHSCSA-CHS 2010 dental van will be at the CentroMed South Park Dental Clinic located at 910 Wagner Street, on the corner of Wagner Street and S. Zarzamora St., in San Antonio from 9 am to 3 pm providing oral hygiene instruction and general screenings for disease.
“There is a great need for oral care access and education among children in our community,” said Kevin Donly, pediatric Dentistry Residency Director at the UTHSCSA. “Give Kids A Smile Day is a great opportunity to provide needed access and education to children who need it the most and to put them on the path to good oral hygiene.”
“Our partnership with the UTHSCSA helps us improve the oral hygiene of children in San Antonio through education, tools and access to dental professionals,” said Diane Dietz, marketing director for Crest. “We are excited to join forces with the UTHSCSA to promote campaigns like Give Kids A Smile that share and further our goals to improve children’ oral health.”
The American Dental Association created Give Kids A Smile to focus national attention on the issue of oral healthcare for underserved children. The ADA hopes to build support for public and private solutions that will help underserved children get regular oral healthcare.
The UTHSCSA Community Teaching Program, which includes treatment and education efforts through the Christus Santa Rosa Clinic, helps thousands of children per year. The Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 program at the Christus Santa Rosa Clinic, has UTHSCSA staff available to provide a variety of dental services, including screenings, examinations, cleanings, sealants, dental amalgams, composites, emergency care and as well as CHIPS and Medicaid insurance counsel. Through the partnership, children treated through UTHSCSA programs, including mobile van programs will receive Crest toothpaste, toothbrushes and bilingual information on proper dental care. The CHS 2010-sponsored mobile dental vehicles also participates in selected local health and community events throughout the year, including visits to local Boys & Girls Clubs.
ABOUT UTHSCSA
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio serves as the principal source of dental health professional education in South Texas and offers an extensive range of dental treatments and oral healthcare services for adults and children as part of the teaching program for dentists and dental specialists. Because UTHSCSA is primarily an educational facility, prospective patients interested in receiving dental care are primarily selected on the basis of their teaching potential. UTHSCSA is committed to the acquisition, dissemination and use of knowledge that will lead to advancements in oral health.
ABOUT CREST HEALTHY SMILES 2010
Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 is proud to be the national sponsor of the American Dental Association’s Give Kids a Smile program. As the only consumer products sponsor of the national access day, Crest has donated more than 460,000 dental kits which include Crest toothpaste, toothbrushes and educational materials. In total, Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 will provide dental kits to over 900 Give Kids a Smile professional programs including over 200 dental societies.
Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 and the ADA share a common mission to increase access to affordable dental care to underserved communities in an effort to improve the oral health of children in need. Based on the principle that good oral health is integral to overall health, Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 combines the passionate vision of Crest with the resources of Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and other leading members of the dental community to affect real change in the state of the country’s oral health by 2010. Crest is also working with dental schools and local communities to sponsor mobile dental clinics that bring dental support to areas in need, as well as building upon its 40-year tradition of broad-based in-school health education programs which reach 90 percent of first graders. The program will reach more than 50 million children and their families over the next ten years.
A trusted leader in oral health, Crest was the first oral care brand to secure the ADA Seal of Acceptance for a clinically proven fluoride toothpaste, a major preventer of cavities. Since first introducing a fluoride toothpaste 40 years ago, it is estimated that Crest has helped prevent more than half a billion cavities in the United States. In addition, Crest created Crest Healthy Smiles 2010, a national outreach program designed to help improve the state of oral health in America. By providing education, tools, and increased access to dental professionals, Crest hopes to reach 50 million children and their families. Headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, Crest is owned and distributed by Procter & Gamble.
ABOUT THE ADA
The American Dental Association (ADA) is the nation’s oldest national dental association, representing more than 140,000 members. It advocates for the public’s health and promotes the art and science of dentistry.
–30–
CONTACT:
DeVries Public Relations
Claudia Mejía/212-891-0421
or
Marjorie Kaplan/212-891-0469
