Give Kids a Smile at Tufts Dental

This crowdfunding project has ended, but you can still support Give Kids a Smile. Thank you for your continued support!

Our Event:

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine (TUSDM) will be hosting its second Give Kids A Smile event this year – a national outreach program created by the ADA Foundation. On May 4th and 5th, TUSDM will be opening its doors to serve children (up to age 13) in need of dental care, free of charge. Being part of Tufts’ 150th Year Anniversary Celebration, this year’s event is slated to be bigger and better than last year's – with more dental services being offered and the addition of a second day. Upon enrollment, children will receive dental exams, x-rays, cleanings, fluoride treatments, fillings, and emergency treatments as needed. The event will also include fun oral health promotion activities for all members of the family to participate in, including educational demonstrations/games, raffles, and prizes.

Our Target Population:

This event will be primarily focusing on serving disadvantaged children within the Boston/Greater Boston Area, who do not have an established dental provider or insurance. We expect many of the event participants to be coming from underserved families facing financial difficulties which may be impeding their ability to seek adequate dental care (including those who may have recently immigrated to the U.S).

The TUSDM Advantage:

Our vision of global leadership in oral healthcare is one that has continuously motivated TUSDM to provide education committed to clinical excellence, all the while maintaining a strong connection to community service. Thus, the mission of Give Kids A Smile resonates very deeply with TUSDM. TUSDM’s experienced faculty, residents, and volunteers (including multilingual translators) enables us to serve children from a diverse population pool (including those who may be medically compromised), and those from a range of ethnic backgrounds (including Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish-speaking). Furthermore, TUSDM’s central location (located directly on a subway system) in the heart of Boston makes it easily accessible to disadvantaged families who may be without transportation. Give Kids A Smile strengthens TUSDM’s already well-established ties to the surrounding Boston communities in the form of effective comprehensive care and oral health education.

How You Can Help:

You can make a direct impact on year’s Give Kids A Smile event. Your generosity has the ability to not only help us reduce the dental supply costs for the event, but to also have a longer lasting impact by helping to facilitate the oral health of a child in need, and potentially help them find a permanent dental home. Due to generous donations from sponsors of last year’s event, we were able to provide dental care to more than 70 children – half of whom continued to be patients at TUSDM indefinitely.

We hope you will consider joining us in helping TUSDM give back to the underserved communities of Boston in a productive and meaningful way!