DuPage Health Department to offer free dental screenings on Give Kids A Smile Day Feb. 28

The DuPage County Health Department is joining the American Dental Association to observe the annual Give Kids A Smile Day on Friday, Feb. 28.

Free dental screenings will be done by DuPage County Health Department dentists. In addition, children will receive oral health education and a free oral healthcare kit.

Dental care has been identified as one of the largest unmet health needs among children in the U.S. As such, pain and suffering associated with untreated dental disease can lead to problems with eating, speaking and learning. Children in the U.S. miss 51 million hours of school each year due to dental related illnesses.

The services will be available to children from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DuPage County Health Department Dental Clinic, 111 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton.

No appointment is necessary. Call (630) 682-7400, ext. 7776, for more information.

The Give Kids A Smile Day event is part of the national program which began in 2003 by the American Dental Association, as a way for dentists to join with others in the community to provide dental services to underserved children. Each year, about 400,000 children benefit from more than 1,500 events, thanks to the efforts of 40,000 volunteers nationwide.