Dental students looked for signs of dental decay and cavities, and notified parents or legal guardians about the findings. School of Dentistry staff are following-up with parents of children with urgent needs to schedule treatment appointments.

In addition to the screenings, dental hygiene students visited classrooms at each of the six Jefferson County Public Schools – providing oral health education to about 2,000 children. The dental hygiene students explained how to properly brush and floss, and talked with children about the importance of visiting a dentist and how to make healthy snack and drink choices.

The JCPS Academic Support Services and Family Resource Coordinators and Health Services collaborated with UofL on the effort, along with many community partners including the , Rob Arnold and , , , , , and Tyler Village Subway.

University of Louisville dentistry student Devin Moran told Yara Alnaanah to “open wide” so he could get a look at her teeth. With a smile, Moran told the kindergartner at Camp Taylor Elementary School “looks good!”

On this day, Moran was one of dozens of students from the UofL School of Dentistry invading Camp Taylor and three other Jefferson County schools to give free checkups and advice to more than 300 young students, many of them who rarely see a dentist.

“This is a part of our community outreach” said the dentistry school’s Dr. Haska Aljukic.

Moran said “it gives us a chance to interact with kids out in the community and also gives the community a chance to get some free screenings and free dental work done. So it’s kind of a win-win.”

Camp Taylor’s principal said he and the students’ busy parents appreciated UofL’s effort. So did Yara Alnaanah.

“They tell me, ‘wow, your teeth are nice,’” she said.

Check out the Give Kids a Smile Day below: