On February 3, 2006, dentists across the country will provide free dental services, educational materials and Crest products to underserved children.

For the third consecutive year, Crest Healthy Smiles and the American Dental Association are partnering to improve dental access at the national level.

The ADA created ‘Give Kids a Smile’ 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 and to build support for public and private solutions that will help these children get regular oral health care. As noted in the Surgeon General’s 2000 report, Oral Health in America, dental decay is the most common disease affecting U.S. children, occurring 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, including speech, eating patterns and ability to concentrate in school.