Health News
Smile Kentucky! celebrates its 10-year anniversary tomorrow, representing $1 million in free dentistry and benefiting more than 100,000 students.
- Smiling Schools Tooth-varnish Program Expands To 10 More Counties; Now In 40
Kentucky's Smiling Schools program is expanding to 10 more counties and will now provide its free preventive tooth varnishing treatments to children in 40 elementary schools, most in Appalachia, according to a state press release. Gov. Steve Beshear...
- Louisville Dental School Ranked Second In U.s. By Website That Surveys Students And Recent Graduates
The University of Louisville School of Dentistry is ranked second among dental schools in the U.S. by GraduatePrograms.com, a peer-written rating and review site for graduate schools. Last year the school ranked fourth. The No. 1-ranked program on the...
- Uk Students In National Program To Educate Kids About Oral Health
A University of Kentucky undergraduate dental group was recently spotlighted by the National Children's Oral Health Foundation for their passion to share oral-health education with elementary and middle schools in Kentucky, according to a UK...
- State Gives 5 Health Departments Money For Mobile Dental-hygiene Teams That Will Examine Children At Schools; 5 More Next Year
Using new money in the state budget, the state Department for Public Health has given five local health departments grants to launch mobile dental hygiene programs. The one-year awards of $160,000 will pay for a full-time dental hygienist and assistant;...
- Promising Tooth Varnish That Prevents Tooth Decay Will Be Applied To 25,000 Students In 16 Kentucky Appalachian Counties
Using an innovative fluoride technique, about 25,000 children in 16 Appalachian Kentucky counties will receive preventive dental care at school, under a $1.25 million pilot project announced by Gov. Steve Beshear yesterday. The counties are Bell, Breathitt,...
Health News
Smile Kentucky! celebrates 10 years and more than 100,000 children helped
Smile Kentucky! celebrates its 10-year anniversary tomorrow, representing $1 million in free dentistry and benefiting more than 100,000 students. "It's a wonderful program," said Arleta Watkins of Bullitt County Schools. "I've had children who've never had a dental exam before. They get that service for free."
The program serves children in Louisville and nearby counties. Since it began, more than 127,000 students in 143 schools and 11 counties have received classroom dental education, 35,000 kids have gotten free dental screenings at school and nearly 3,000 children have received free treatment.
Smile Kentucky! works with 30 elementary schools in Jefferson and surrounding counties each fall. Students receive dental education, and children in grades 3 to 6 get a free dental screening. Children without dental insurance or medical care get free treatments by going to the University of Louisville's School of Dentistry or private dental offices in February.
"Dental pain and infection is one of the leading causes of missed days at school and affects a child's ability to concentrate," said John Sauk, dean of U of L's School of Dentistry.
U of L is one of 30 agencies on the steering committee. Other founding partners include the Louisville Water Co., the Louisville Dental Society, Colgate, Sullivan Schein Dental, Northwest Area Health Education Center and the Bullitt County Health Department.
For more information about Smile Kentucky!, click here.
- Smiling Schools Tooth-varnish Program Expands To 10 More Counties; Now In 40
Kentucky's Smiling Schools program is expanding to 10 more counties and will now provide its free preventive tooth varnishing treatments to children in 40 elementary schools, most in Appalachia, according to a state press release. Gov. Steve Beshear...
- Louisville Dental School Ranked Second In U.s. By Website That Surveys Students And Recent Graduates
The University of Louisville School of Dentistry is ranked second among dental schools in the U.S. by GraduatePrograms.com, a peer-written rating and review site for graduate schools. Last year the school ranked fourth. The No. 1-ranked program on the...
- Uk Students In National Program To Educate Kids About Oral Health
A University of Kentucky undergraduate dental group was recently spotlighted by the National Children's Oral Health Foundation for their passion to share oral-health education with elementary and middle schools in Kentucky, according to a UK...
- State Gives 5 Health Departments Money For Mobile Dental-hygiene Teams That Will Examine Children At Schools; 5 More Next Year
Using new money in the state budget, the state Department for Public Health has given five local health departments grants to launch mobile dental hygiene programs. The one-year awards of $160,000 will pay for a full-time dental hygienist and assistant;...
- Promising Tooth Varnish That Prevents Tooth Decay Will Be Applied To 25,000 Students In 16 Kentucky Appalachian Counties
Using an innovative fluoride technique, about 25,000 children in 16 Appalachian Kentucky counties will receive preventive dental care at school, under a $1.25 million pilot project announced by Gov. Steve Beshear yesterday. The counties are Bell, Breathitt,...