FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: DeVries Public Relations
Caroline Gould/617-780-0373
cgould@devries-pr.com
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Lindsey Edmondson/770-715-4161
ledmondson@bgca.org
GEORGIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION, BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA AND
CREST HEALTHY SMILES 2010 KICK-OFF STATEWIDE CELEBRATION OF
GIVE KIDS A SMILE DAY AT LOCAL BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
Statewide Partnership Provides Free Dental Screenings and Education to Nearly 2,000 Children in Georgia
ATLANTA, February 4, 2005—Members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA), as well as 24 other Boys & Girls Clubs across the state, will have the chance to get their smiles in gear today, thanks to a partnership between the Georgia Dental Association (GDA), Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 (CHS 2010). This partnership will provide free dental screenings, education and Crest toothbrushes and toothpaste in celebration of Give Kids A Smile Day (GKAS), a national celebration of oral health.
“Give Kids A Smile Day is the perfect opportunity for dentists across Georgia to give their time to a most worthy cause,” said Dr. Edward Green, president of the GDA. “Thanks to this public-private partnership, we can make a difference in the lives of a large number of children in Georgia.”
To kick-off GKAS and the partnership, an opening ceremony will be held today at BGCMA’s George Washington Carver unit, with a special appearance by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. After dental screenings, Club members will participate in a variety of activities taken from the Crest Cavity-Free Zone, an oral health program developed by BGCA and CHS 2010 and used by Clubs throughout the country. Members will also have the chance to play with the CHS 2010 mascots, engage in fun and educational oral health games, and enjoy healthy snacks.
V103 FM will pump up the fun by broadcasting directly from the Club and adding music to the celebration. Parents attending the event will have the opportunity to speak with representatives from agencies that provide affordable health-care to low-income families.
“Our Boys & Girls Clubs are grateful to Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 and the Georgia Dental Association for bringing information and access to oral care to our Club members,” said Judith J. Pickens, senior vice president, program services, BGCA. “It is partnerships like this one that enable our members to receive the care they need, so they can grow up knowing how to create and maintain healthy smiles.”
The American Dental Association (ADA) created GKAS as an annual vehicle to focus national attention on what the U.S. Surgeon General has called a “silent epidemic” of oral disease affecting children from low-income families. GKAS also seeks to build support for public and private solutions, like the partnership between BGCA, the GDA and CHS 2010, that will help children get the oral care they need. As noted in the Surgeon General’s 2000 report, dental decay is the most common disease affecting U.S. children. It occurs at five times the rate of asthma and seven times that of hay fever. Millions of children suffer from untreated, easily preventable oral diseases that affect overall health, speech, eating patterns and the ability to concentrate in school.
“We’re thrilled to have the Georgia Dental Association as a partner for Give Kids A Smile Day,” said
Diane Dietz, General Manager, Procter & Gamble North American Oral Care. “Crest Healthy Smiles 2010 is a program that provides substantive, long-term solutions to the oral health crisis facing America’s youth. Through partnerships with dental thought leaders like the Georgia Dental Association, we will improve the oral health of underserved communities, helping to create a lifetime of good oral health.”
ABOUT THE GEORGIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION
The Georgia Dental Association, organized in 1859, has 3,100 member dentists statewide. The GDA strives to promote oral health and preventive dentistry in improving standards of dental health in the state. The GDA provides many community services. Some of these are: a complimentary toll-free
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