The American Dental Association's (ADA) public program Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) 20th anniversary celebration was scheduled for 2020. Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event to be cancelled to protect the health and safety of all involved. This year, organizers are looking forward to once again bringing the dental community together to provide free dental care and services to children in need through events that have been adapted to ensure the safety of all involved.

Though it is not possible at this time to host hundreds of children in a single location for dental care, some innovative planning will help all volunteers achieve the program's goal to provide oral health literacy programs and dental services. Over 40,000 GKAS volunteers have been tasked with the challenge to make this happen safely for more than 300,000 underserved children across the country. Instead of bringing patients and clinical staff together in one location, children will be able to receive dental care at a designated dental practice in their home area. GKAS volunteers will remain in constant communication with children and their families to ensure them that the designated dental offices are a safe place to go.

More than 6 million underserved children have received free oral health services since the launch of the program in 2003. Even though GKAS is traditionally celebrated nationally in February as a part of National Children's Dental Health Month, many more activities supporting this cause take place throughout the year.

For more information on GKAS opportunities in your area and additional resources, please visit: https://www.ada.org/en/public-programs/give-kids-a-smile