On February 21st, HDA's Young Dentists Group president Dr.
Scott Morita along with approximately 75 kind-hearted volunteers
sponsored the Give a Kids a Smile program at the Makahiki Medical and
Dental Clinic in Honolulu. While Give the Kids a Smile is a national
campaign, this was the first time in a statewide format the program has
been offered in Hawaii.
Dr. Morita explained at the event that
Hawaii has one of the highest rates of cavities in the entire country,
making this event so very important. At the Give the Kids a Smile
program last week, Dr. Morita was so happy to see hundreds of children
show. In addition to providing the children in attendance with free
dental screenings and cleanings, the youngsters also enjoyed playing
games, eating tasty snacks and winning some great prizes. The whole idea
behind the Give Kids a Smile campaign is to make going to the dentist
fun and not something to dread or be frightened of. Everyone who was at
the event could see clearly that all the kids were having a whole lot of
fun as were their parents and all the great dentists & volunteers
that showed up to help.
Before the children were given their free
dental cleanings, they enjoyed a fun lesson that showed them how to
maintain their beautiful smiles. The event was the first of its kind for
Hawaii, but Dr. Morita says he would like to make the Give the Kids a
Smile campaign something that takes place every year in our great state.
The program was indeed a very different and fun-filled way for the kids
in attendance to go to the dentist and a dental trip none of them will
forget anytime soon!
We applaud all the dentists and volunteers
who helped make the Give the Kids a Smile Program a fantastic success!
One of the goals of the Hawaii Dental Association's Young Dentists Group
is to promote the quality of dental care the people of Hawaii deserve
through educational, social and community outreach activities. The
recent Give the Kids a Smile program in Honolulu helped us achieve that
goal which will go far in reducing the incidence of dental decay and
disease across our state.