GTCC serves community, hosts Give Kids A Smile event

Five dentists from the Guilford County Dental Society staffed the event along with dental assisting and dental hygiene faculty, but most importantly, dental hygiene and dental assisting students from GTCC.

For 17 elementary school students, the annual Give Kids A Smile event at Guilford Technical Community College delivered brighter smiles through dental checkups.

"We try to find the children in need. A child should not be in dental pain," said Kim Porter, associate professor of dental hygiene at GTCC and a driving force behind the event each year. "When you have dental pain, you can't sleep, you can't eat, you can't concentrate."

Give Kids A Smile is a partnership between GTCC, the Guilford County Dental Society and the Guilford County School system that identifies children that may need dental care. The Guilford County Dental Society also donated $1,500 to the project.

"The goal is to find children in Title I schools, those individuals that might not have insurance, might not go to the dentist, may not understand the importance of primary teeth (baby teeth) and bring them in," Porter said. GTCC has worked with the Guilford County Dental Society for decades, she said, to help children in need by hosting Give Kids A Smile. Porter has organized the event since 2018.

Give Kids A Smile serves one Title I school in Guilford County each year. A Title I school serves areas with high poverty rates.

"We are grateful for the partnership with GTCC and the Guilford County Dental Society supporting some of our students with dental services. Students were appreciative and returned to school all smiles," Kimberly Fleming, Pilot Elementary principal, said.

Porter also said the children's dental clinic is vitally important for GTCC dental students.

"For our students, it's the opportunity to have extra practice with a child," she said. "For them, it's also the chance to see there is such a need in the community; that patients are in need and there is the opportunity to experience public health dental hygiene."

Five dentists from the Guilford County Dental Society staffed the event with dental assisting and dental hygiene faculty, and most importantly, dental hygiene and dental assisting students from GTCC. They provided the students from Pilot Elementary School with dental exams, X-rays, cleaning, fluoride, an application of a sealant when needed, and instructions on oral hygiene.

"Hopefully, this plants a seed about taking caring of our bodies," said Dr. Rebecca Andrews, one of the dentists working with the children at the clinic. "This is an amazing program. I'm so glad we were able to pull it off. It was a very good day."

Abby Cranford was one of the GTCC students working the event, an event she said provided her with valuable experience and insight.

"It was my first time working with a child," said Cranford, a dental assisting student at GTCC. "It is certainly one of the challenges we face. Children can be distracted so easily; they move around so much. It's amazing being able to have these experiences while I'm still learning, so I don't get out in the field and say, 'this isn't like it is in the books.'"