Free dental services were provided for children ages 1-17 Feb. 4, 2023 by Germanna dental program students at the annual Give Kids a Smile Day at the Moss Free Clinic in Fredericksburg.
Services at the event include dental exams, cleanings, x-rays, fluoride, sealants, and oral health education.
The program has become very popular over the years.
"We had to turn away almost as many as we could see," said Misty Mesimer, GCC Dental Assisting & Dental Hygiene Program Director.
Germanna students provided $4,380 worth of free care. In four hours. 20 exams, 17 prophylaxes, four sets of bitewings, 11 panoramic images, and 18 fluoride varnish treatments were provided.
She said patients without an appointment who coukd not be seen were scheduled for another time.
Mesimer thanked the Moss Free Clinic, and partners Henry Schein, who provided supplies and Stafford Headstart and the Spotsylvania Deptartment of Social Services .who informed their clients of our event.
"One child presented with an abscess that needed immediate treatment to ensure infection did not spread to other parts of the body," Mesimer said.
She said Germanna students have provided roughly $21,000 worth of care for free over the past three years of Give Kids a Smile Day.
Germanna dental program students provide an average of $125,000 worth of free care a year to the community, Mesimer said.