Making Smiles for Low-income Families

Information by State  Print version   Dr. Charles Miller (left), President of the Ft. Worth District Dental Society and Dr. John Avila, past president of the DHA Board of Directors in the clinic with a patient and her dad. JoAnn Green, RDH, and Glenda Bell, dental assistant, apply sealants using portable dental equipment in the schools.

This is the top dental award in the nation, given annually to the group making the most significant impact in improving community oral health. Previous winners include the Ben Massell Dental Clinic of Atlanta, Georgia, and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine's Project Bridge.

The Fort Worth District Dental Society nominated Dental Health for Arlington (DHA) for the award. DHA, a thirteen-year-old community dental organization, operates a clinic in downtown Arlington serving the needs of low-income families from across Southeast Tarrant County as well as residents of local emergency shelters. About 10,000 receive dental care annually from the staff and volunteer dental professionals.

Services such as fillings, cleanings, extractions and dentures are available, thanks to volunteer dentists from the Fort Worth District Dental Society and others. Last year alone, over 1,000 fillings and 950 extractions were provided for disadvantaged families.

Dental Health for Arlington is a recipient of HUD's SuperNofa Continuum of Care "Supportive Housing Program" Homeless grant funds.

DHA also operates SMILES, a school-based preventive dental program for first, second and third graders in 28 disadvantaged schools in Arlington, Mansfield and Fort Worth. The oral health of area low-income children has improved remarkably since SMILES began in the schools in 1994. DHA currently receives Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program funds from the City of Arlington for its SMILES program.

When the program began, one in five children had such severe tooth decay that they were in pain daily. Today, only eight kids out of a hundred have very severe decay. Last year, one little second grade child was even found to have a tumor larger than a quarter under her tongue. If it weren't for school-based programs like SMILES, one has to wonder what would happen to these little children who never receive dental care.

Dr. Lee Oneacre, a Dallas Oral Surgeon and Board member of the ADA, presented the award. Four ADA members from across the nation judged the 31 groups nominated for the 2007 award. Applications were sent to each of the judges to be read and ranked. Dental Health for Arlington was the first choice of all four judges on the first ballot!

If you know someone who needs dental help, call (817) 277-1165 to find out how to schedule an appointment. Visit our website to learn more about Dental Health for Arlington.