On Friday, Feb. 3, I attended a 15th annual national kickoff event for Give Kids a Smile, an initiative of the ADA Foundation (ADAF) supported by Henry Schein, Colgate-Palmolive, and KaVo Kerr. The event at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine brought together dental students, residents, and faculty who volunteered their time to provide free dental care to local schoolchildren. It was a fun, festive atmosphere, from the magician who was entertaining the children as they waited for treatment, to the dental students who had toy models that allowed kids to pretend they were a dentist in a clinic—not to mention the volunteers dressed up like tooth fairies and toothbrushes! The focus truly was on the kids, which was great to see.
The Rutgers event represented a national kickoff for Give Kids a Smile event that will continue throughout the year. ADA President Dr. Gary Roberts was in attendance, as well as ADA Vice President and President of the ADA Foundation, Dr. William Calnon. NJ State Sen. Gerald Cardinale, a dentist by profession, was there to present a legislative proclamation to Rutgers (as seen in photo to right). Several representatives from corporate sponsors were also in attendance, including Give Kids a Smile National Committee Chair Michele Penrose, a Team Schein member, who spoke about prevention.
“We’re very excited about 15 years of Give Kids a Smile. The only thing that might overshadow this celebration is the fact that we still have these events. What we will really celebrate someday is when we don’t need to do this,” said Penrose. “I think it’s our responsibility to continue to be vigilant, to create awareness—for policy makers, parents, caregivers, teachers, anybody we interface with—of the importance of oral health as it relates to total health.”
Introducing NJ HealthHome 2.0
To the point of prevention, this 15th anniversary celebration was also marked by the introduction of NJ HealthHome 2.0, an effort to fuse the relationship between primary care providers, dentists and parents to optimize children’s health. Set to launch later this year, this brand-new initiative is an effort of the NJ Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics in alignment with the NJ Dental Association, NJ Oral Health Coalition, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and Henry Schein cares. Steven Kess, Vice President of Global Professional Relations, Office of the Chairman & CEO, Henry Schein, Inc. and Sid Whitman, chair of New Jersey Oral Health Coalition helped to introduce the program.
“The mission of NJ HealthHome 2.0 is to eliminate dental caries and reduce chronic disease in all children by improving care coordination between health professionals and families,” Dr. Whitman explained. The program has specific goals, including:
- Eliminating dental caries and reducing chronic disease in all children from birth to age 5
- Eliminating access disparities
-Improving care coordination between health professionals and with families.
Once launched, NJ HealthHome 2.0 will be a flagship program in the nation. The importance of setting a new standard was reinforced by Dr. Louis W. Sullivan (seen at right), co-Chairman of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during President George H. W. Bush's Administration, and the founding Dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine. After the presentation, I approached Dr. Sullivan to ask him about prevention, which was a topic he addressed in his comments. I wanted to know: What can be done for children who don’t live in a state with progressive programs like NJ HealthHome 2.0?
“The key [to prevention] is improving health literacy so that people know the things they can do and the things they should do to prevent a number of conditions. Dental caries is a great example,” Dr. Sullivan said. He explained how practicing good oral hygiene and having fluoride are effective ways to prevent dental caries. However, other health behaviors, like exercising regularly and eating a well-balanced diet, can also improve dental and overall health. Dr. Sullivan concluded, “Health literacy and healthy behavior will have a positive impact on our health.”