Our largest and most far-reaching project, Smiles for Kids (SFK) (originally founded in 1991 by Dr. Gerard Ortner and Dr. Don Rollofson) was adopted and expanded by the Foundation in 2003. It partners member dentists with local schools to screen and provide dental education to thousands of children each year. From the screenings, under-insured and uninsured children are treated by member dentists and their staffs on SFK Day each February. The children needing care, emergency and non, are navigated and "care coordinated" to their existing dental homes if they have one. If not, SDDS member dentists adopt them for pro bono treatment -including specialty and orthodontic treatment. We also help parents navigate to insurance resources, MediCal Dental and more permanent resources.
Our Foundation partners with PUPPET ART THEATER to present 3 different oral health puppet shows in the schools. We also partner with the Center for Oral Health / Early Smiles Sacramento; they have been an extraordinary partner in providing screenings, Fluoride treatment and navigation in the Sacramento County schools. They have helped us expand our program to more and more schools.
Smiles for Kids is making great strides toward reversing the disheartening statistics that plague the children of our community.
Since 1991, Smiles for Kids has:
- Served more than 600,000 children
- Provided 17,500 children with pro-bono care
- Provided $16 million in free dental services
- Provided 1,250 children with orthodontic treatment
Patterned after Smiles for Kids (SFK), the Smiles for BIG Kids® (SFBK) program kicked off in 2009 to provide necessary dental services to uninsured and low-income adults. While SFK addresses the dental needs of children, SFBK promotes oral health to adults, provides donated dental treatment for uninsured, low-income adults age 19+ who are in need of urgent dental care, as well as education on maintaining proper oral health. This program is available to all area adults who meet the program's eligibility requirements, and especially targets the needs of our community's low-income elderly population, as well as the parents of children served by the SFK program. Since the program's inception, $2 million in services has been provided (an average of $2,900 per patient).