Free Dental Care for Needy Children in Lancaster, PA - Give Kids a Smile Program Highlights Silent Epidemic of Untreated Dental Disease
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Lancaster, PA dentist provides free dental care to needy children
Give Kids a Smile Program part of February National Children's Dental Month. Lancaster, PA (PRWEB) January 31, 2008 -- On February 1, 2008, Landisville, PA dentist Dr. Thomas J. Sardina will join thousands of the dentists across the country in providing free oral health care services to low-income children. As part of The American Dental Association's "Give Kids a Smile" Event Dr. Sardina of The General Dentist (http://www.thegeneraldentist.com) will be offering "Free Cleanings" to children in the Hempfield School District. Dr. Sardina has already conducted dental exams for the two middle schools in the Hempfield School District and is opening his office, The General Dentist, at 367 Main Street in Landisville from 8am - 12pm, to provide free teeth cleanings for needy children up to the age of 18.
"Give Kids a Smile" is the centerpiece to National Children's Dental Health Month in February, and is designed to provide education, screening, treatment and preventative care to low-income children who do not have access to care.
Last year close to 54,000 dentists participated, delivering over $72 million in treatment and free products. In Pennsylvania 15 dentists offered their services as part of the effort.
"In addition to helping children who do not have dental insurance or whose parents are unable to afford routine dental care, we hope that The Give Kids a Smile program increases awareness of the ongoing challenges that disadvantaged children face in receiving dental care," said Dr. Sardina. "There is a national problem of untreated dental disease among children that cannot be solved by charitable care alone." According to PA Dept of Health, more children in Pennsylvania are affected by dental decay than asthma. The PA Dept of Health says tooth decay affects 48% of children by the age of 8. By age 15 this percentage increases to 50%. In low income households, 33% of children have untreated tooth decay, in comparison to children in higher-income households. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion says, "Untreated cavities can cause pain, dysfunction, absence from school, underweight, and poor appearance -problems that can greatly reduce a child's capacity to succeed in life," from a 2007 report "Oral Health Problems: Painful, Costly, and Preventable." About Dr. Thomas J. Sardina, DMD
Dr. Sardina is a graduate of Ephrata High School, and received both his Bachelor and Master's of Science degrees from Temple University. He also earned his Doctor of Medical Dentistry from the Temple University School of Dentistry, and attended the world-renowned Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI), the prestigious post-graduate center for aesthetic and neuromuscular dentistry. He practiced dentistry in Hershey, PA prior to opening The General Dentist in Landisville, PA in 2007. Dr. Sardina is an approved Hempfield Area School District Dentist, and an adjunct instructor at HACC teaching Expanded Functional Dental Assistant (EFDA) students. Dr. Sardina is active in the local community, donating services to residents at the Water Street Rescue Mission in downtown Lancaster, and participating in Sealant Saturday, a national program aimed at preventing tooth decay in children. Dr. Sardina is a member of the Academy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, the American Dental Association and the Pennsylvania Dental Association. # # #
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