Henry Schein, supplier partners, ADA to sponsor 'Give Kids A Smile Day' event

Henry Schein, Inc., the largest distributor of health care products and services to office-based dental, medical and veterinary practitioners, and its supplier partners have joined with the American Dental Association (ADA), Colgate-Palmolive and DEXIS to sponsor the ninth annual ADA "Give Kids A Smile Day."

Henry Schein Dental, the U.S. Dental division of Henry Schein, serves as the exclusive professional product sponsor of "Give Kids A Smile Day."  With the participation of 34 supplier partners, the Company was once again able to support oral health care screenings for hundreds of thousands of children throughout the United States. More than 45,000 dental team volunteers, including more than 12,000 dentists, participated in events held at 1,750  locations serving more than 400,000 children.  Since the inception of "Give Kids A Smile," Henry Schein and its supplier partners have donated more than $11 million in valuable products and services to the program.  

"With today's 'Give Kids A Smile' events around the country, we once again focus attention on the importance of oral health care for underserved children through this wonderful example of public-private partnership," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and CEO of Henry Schein.  "Give Kids A Smile and other initiatives like it around the country are some of the most effective ways we have seen to help narrow the gap in accessing oral health care by increasing awareness of the issue among policymakers, and by providing screening, treatment and education to children in underserved communities."

Overall, the oral health of children has improved significantly over the past few decades, but there is still an underserved population that faces barriers to optimal oral health.  According to the ADA, children living in poverty suffer twice as much tooth decay as their more affluent peers, and their disease is more likely to go untreated.  Tooth decay affects more than 25 percent of U.S. children from two to five years old, and 50 percent of children between 12 to 15 years old, according to 2010 figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.  And most state Medicaid budgets devote two percent or less to dental services for young and old alike.  In some states, the dental portion of the Medicaid budget is as little as one-half of one percent.

"This highly successful program underscores the commitment of our membership and the dental industry to address crucial issues of access to care for children in underserved communities," said Dr. William R. Calnon, President-Elect of the American Dental Association. "The support of Henry Schein, DEXIS, Colgate-Palmolive, and our many other industry supporters is invaluable as we seek to enhance the level of care for our country's children in need.  Beyond this single-day event, we should continue to work with policymakers to ensure that children receive the crucial health care services they need."

The ADA has expanded the Give Kids A Smile program into a year-round effort to increase access to dental care for underserved children. The ADA's "Give Kids A Smile" National Advisory Board, which is chaired by Steve Kess, Vice President of Global Professional Relations for Henry Schein, focuses on expanding this initiative in three primary areas—program enhancement; fundraising; and hosting an annual Promising Practices Symposium where similar programs can share best practices.