July 16 marked the opening of the 2010 season for TeamSmile, a nonprofit organization that teams up with major sports organizations throughout the U.S. to provide dental care to children in underserved communities.
This year's opener was hosted by the Kansas City Royals baseball team, the club's third TeamSmile event, which was held at Kauffman Stadium for the children of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, according to TeamSmile. Dentists, dental professionals, suppliers, and other members of the dental community joined together to provide free screening, clinical treatment, and oral health education.
Bill Busch, D.M.D., of the North Kansas City Dental Group, co-founded TeamSmile in 2006 with Jason Krause of Henry Schein Dental. The TeamSmile concept partners dental professionals with professional and collegiate sports teams to deliver professional, clinical dental treatments in a fun, event-oriented environment at professional sports venues.
In addition to treatment, the children receive their dental records on an USB bracelet to promote the electronic dental record (EDR). Fourteen portable dental operatories are set up to treat hundreds of children at each event, using the best-in-class equipment, products, and volunteers.
Midmark donated three Midmark M3 UltraFast automatic sterilizers to TeamSmile for the event.
TeamSmile served 1,000 children in 2009 and expects to serve 3,000 in 2010. This year's calendar runs through November 13 and includes events with the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, Fresno State Bulldogs, Justin Timberlake Shriners Open Golf Tournament, Kansas City Chiefs, and Denver Nuggets.
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