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60 kids take part in SDA Clinic event
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Posted on Feb 10 2020
About 60 children received free oral health services, including dental exams, extractions, fillings, and fluoride treatment at the Saipan Seventh-Day Adventist Clinic last Feb. 7 as part of the American Dental Association’s “Give Kids A Smile” annual event.
The 60 children who obtained free oral health services this year doubles the estimated 30 children who availed of the free services last year, according to SDA general dentist Steven Debulgado.
SDA helps celebrate this event once a year, which is typically the first Friday of February, as part of the nationwide Give Kids A Smile program, said Debulgado.
He emphasized the importance of this event, saying it’s free for the youth and it’s only one day of the year that is set aside for children, especially younger children who are more vulnerable to dental diseases, especially those who don’t have access to Medicaid or insurance.
“It’s always important that this vulnerable population, the kids, and especially those who don’t have access to health care, to have this day set aside just to help them,” he said.
Besides Debulgado, various clinic staff and some high school volunteers participated in the event. According to Debulgado, some of the high school volunteers who have interests in a career in dentistry or anything medical-related shadowed and helped assist in sterilization, cleaning, breaking down the chairs, and other tasks that an assistant would do.
“It’s important that we keep this career alive because people always get sick or they have some type of oral care that’s needed,” said Debulgado. “It’s really good people get into this field to help people in the future.”
Debulgado has been with SDA for two years.
“I wanted to do something in health care, but I didn’t want to go into the hospital so with dentistry, it was very conducive and had a lot of hands-on stuff and I just fell in love with it and pursued it after,” said Debulgado.
The American Dental Association launched the Give Kids A Smile program nationally in 2003. Since then, more than 5.5 million underserved children around the world have received free oral health service.
