The Young Dentist Group collaborated with Waikiki Health Clinic on Feb. 24 to host their fourth annual Give Kids a Smile charity event to provide free dental services to kids. Members of BYU-Hawaii’s Health Professionals Club volunteers ran the activities, games, and giveaways for the kids to help them learn about oral health.
“Hawaii has one of the highest rates of tooth decay in the entire nation,” said Jackie Palola, a volunteer coordinator and one of the founders of Give Kids a Smile. “What contributed to that is our lack of fluoridated water, lack of a specific oral hygiene curriculum at the schools, and some of our fantastic fruit juices.
“What we’re trying to do is target kids in underserved areas and introduce them to dentistry in a fun, family-friendly environment and offer them free cleanings, screenings, and fluoride that they need.”
Kathryn Teruya, the current Miss Hawaii from Honolulu, attended the event and said reducing tooth decay in Hawaii should be a common goal in the community. “Prevention is absolutely key in building a happier Hawaii. That’s exactly what the Young Dentists are providing today. They’re giving kids and their families a step further to insure they are living healthier lives as well as providing that education and fun background to make sure kids enjoy taking care of their teeth.”
Scott Morita, a coordinator for Give Kids a Smile who served as the chair of the Hawaii Dental Association’s YDG and on the board of the Hawaii Dental Foundation, said, “What’s unique about this event is that it is not only a health fair event, we get to see kids. We screen them, we do cleanings, and provide for them. So ultimately, this is very impactful for these kids.
“The location where we hold it is very impactful because it is known as a federally qualified health clinic. At these clinics, they are able to see uninsured as well as Medicaid and Medicare patients. It helps the parents who may not know they have dental benefits. They can come here and get treated.”
Ava Yang, a mother of two daughters who went, said this was her second time going to this kind of event. “Last year was so much fun, we decided to come again this year. Give Kids a Smile helps my children's’ teeth and helps them to eat good food. I want them to do it next year. I want to say thank you to all you guys.”
Carolyn I’taaehau, a sophomore studying biomedicine from Tonga, said, “I’ve been able to assist the dentist in cleaning the kids’ teeth. It brought back memories from volunteering before. Back at home in Tonga the dentists would come and volunteer. They taught us how to help them out with the suction and water.
“I have missed helping dentists clean teeth and be able to see kids smile again with clean teeth. I’ve missed doing that. That’s my main reason for coming. It’s so important. Teeth are top priority. It’s just as important as your health. If anything happens to your teeth, it can affect your whole body. So it’s important that they learn to brush their teeth and floss every day. Brush your teeth - floss every day - night and day. You will be fine for the rest of your life.”
Teruya gave three steps known as B.F.F.: brush, floss, fluoride. “These are three easy steps to decrease childhood tooth decay.”
Morita continued, “This is our fourth year running Give Kids a Smile-Hawaii. This event is for the community and ultimately for the kids. Having an event like this [is] really impactful because we can organize dentists, volunteers, students, as well as dental offices and other volunteer as well to help make a difference in the community with this growing problem.”
Ricky Wade, a senior from Texas studying biochemistry and member of the BYUH Health Professionals Club, said he thought this event was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the joy healthcare employees experience. “As a club, we really wanted to do a service that had to do with healthcare. So we found this event and we really wanted to give some kids a smile and make them happy. We’re out here and we’re having a good time.
“I can see there is a lot of energy here. The kids are having fun. I think the adults are having a little bit of more fun sometimes.”
Sam Zuro, a senior from Utah studying biomedicine, said, “Some people, since we’re on the North Shore, want to do volunteer activities but they don’t really know where to do it or how to get involved. I think it’s a great idea to give people the chance to volunteer. Also, there’s a lot of people interested in going into healthcare but do it more for the humanitarian aspect, so you get that side too.”
Give Kids a Smile is a national program sponsored by the American Dental Association Foundation, said Palola. “A lot of us were used to Give Kids a Smile coming to dental school, but Hawaii doesn’t have a dental school, so we had to start grassroots up. We are a subset of the Hawaii Dental Association called the Young Dentists.”
Wade concluded with an invitation. “Come out to volunteer events. These are the things that I remember when it comes to this school. Any volunteer event you hear about, go for it and you won’t regret it.”