Give Kids A Smile kicks off today

Access to care program celebrates 22 years

Get those grins ready. 

Today, Feb. 2, the ADA Foundation’s  Give Kids A Smile program kicks off its 22nd year of saving smiles. The national kickoff event, which takes place at Howard University College of Dentistry, will provide free oral health education, screenings and treatment for underserved children. 

The Give Kids A Smile program launched nationally in 2003 with the goals of raising awareness and bringing dentists together to provide free oral health care to underserved children. What began as a one-day event the first Friday in February eventually transformed into local and national events taking place year-round. 

In 2024, so far 1,211 Give Kids A Smile events have been registered with the ADA Foundation that will take place at different locations across the U.S. throughout the year. 

Each year thousands of dentists and dental team members volunteer at local GKAS events to provide free oral health services to more than 300,000 children, according to the ADA Foundation. To date, more than 7 million children have received free oral health services through the Give Kids A Smile program. 

The Give Kids A Smile program is supported by national sponsors Henry Schein and Colgate, which provide education and product kits to support Give Kids A Smile events.

To learn how you can become a part of the Give Kids A Smile movement, visit ADAFoundation.org/GKAS.