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PARTNERS | HEALTHY CITY | HOW HEALTHY | VISION | SUMMIT | PRIORITIES | FUNCTIONS | CITY OF FALL RIVER |
Children
between the ages of one and six years from local low-income families were
given free dental services such as screenings, cleanings and fluoride
treatments at the HealthFirst Family Care Center
on February 5, 2010 as
part of national Give Kids a Smile
day. Dr. Carl Ferreira, Dr. Phillip Robitaille and Dr. Suhair Shamoon teamed up with
HealthFirst’s staff by donating their time and professional services to
provide care to these children. Last
year, more than 48,000 dental team members nationwide participated in Give
Kids A Smile, a program first held in 2003 by the American Dental
Association (ADA) to provide care and raise awareness of the importance of
access to dental care for poor children. “It’s
heartbreaking to see a child’s smile destroyed by severe tooth decay,”
said Anila Khalid, Dental Director at HealthFirst. “Imagine
not being able to eat, sleep and pay attention in school because you have
a mouthful of cavities. Some
children have reached the point where the only alternative is a mouth full
of crowns or pulling the teeth that can’t be saved.” Nearly one in four children, aged two to 11 years old has untreated
cavities in their baby teeth, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). For more
information about services offered by HealthFirst, call Paula Harrison at 774-627-1204.
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(Top row, left and right)
Three-year-old Karis Bird gets her teeth cleaned by volunteer dentist Suhair
Shamoon, DMD with the help of dental assistant Tamayra Rivera who also
volunteer her time. (Top row, center)
Dental
Outreach Parent Coordinator
Betty Nunes of the HealthFirst
dental clinic greets the children dressed as the Tooth Fairy to help
them overcome their anxiety. (Middle row, left) HealthFirst Dental
Operations Coordinator Melissa Melanson, RDH and Dental Director Anila
Khalid, DMD, chat with Dr. Shamoon. (Middle row, center) Anyeli Perez is
greeted by Ms. Nunes as she arrives for her appointment. (Middle row,
right) Karis' father, Jason Bird, chats with HealthFirst Director of Community Relations and Development Paula Harrison.
(Bottom row) Anyeli has her teeth cleaned while her mother, Rosa Delgado, looks
on. |
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