Minnesota dental practitioners donated $2.5 million of free care to 5,678 Minnesota children in two days during the Minnesota Dental Association's (MDA) Give Kids A Smile outreach in February, according to the organization.
More than 2,600 dental professionals volunteered their time to provide care to children whose families cannot otherwise afford it. While some clinics treated as many as 200 children, most clinics saw one or two dozen children, the MDA said. In addition, many offices will continue to see the children for free for needed follow-up care.
"Minnesota dentists know there are barriers to care that keep many children from getting needed care," said Timothy Flor, DDS, president of the MDA. "This is an amazing, broad-based effort to provide direct service on a volunteer basis, while we continue work at the legislature to deliver better care to families in need."
