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The Give Kids A Smile® (GKAS) program, launched nationally in 2003, provides underserved children with free oral health care. Each year approximately 6,500 dentists and 30,000 dental team members volunteer at local GKAS events to provide free oral health education, screenings, preventive and restorative treatment to over 300,000 children.
GKAS events kick off annually on the first Friday in February, which is Give Kids A Smile Day. GKAS events are held throughout the year.
In 2002, Drs. Jeff Dalin and B. Ray Storm held the first Give Kids A Smile® (GKAS) event in a run-down, soon-to-be-demolished dental clinic in St. Louis, where 15 patient chairs were scraped together to deliver free dental care to nearly 400 children.
The ADA recognized that this grassroots effort had great potential to raise awareness nationally about the importance of oral health to overall health, and about the staggering need that exists among millions of children who go without care. So, in 2003, Give Kids A Smile evolved into a nationwide program with the goal of providing free oral health care to underserved children.
Please call 1.844.490.GKAS to find out if there’s a GKAS event happening near you. Learn more about free or low-cost resources for your children’s dental care.
After you’ve reviewed the Give Kids a Smile Program Planning Toolbox, you can register your program on our sign-up page.
If you have any questions about hosting a GKAS event, you can email us at gkas@ada.org.
We can help match you with events happening in your area. Please contact us at gkas@ada.org to let us know your city and state to get started. For a listing of GKAS events by state, please visit our state summary reports page.
There are a number of organizations and groups that can help you identify children in need of dental services. View more about these organizations and groups.
The Give Kids A Smile logo is a registered service mark of the American Dental Association and as such is only available for use in support of registered Give Kids A Smile programs.
Give Kids A Smile program coordinators: If your program is already registered, please log in to download the logo. Once signed in, the "logo" option will appear in the top navigation.
If your program is not registered, please log in to sign up your program and gain access to the logo files.
If you are not signing up a GKAS program and would like to request the logo for some other use, please contact the GKAS team directly with your request at gkas@ada.org (please provide information regarding how you would like to use the logo).
The contents of each Give Kids A Smile product kit is determined by your event type. Below are the contents of the 2022 product kits.
Education Kit #1 (treats up to 50 kids) Colgate Children’s Toothbrush Colgate Children’s Toothpaste Oral health education cards Plastic bags with GKAS logo Earloop Masks
Screening Kit #2 (two sizes - treats 25 or 50 kids) Colgate Children’s Toothbrush Colgate Children’s Toothpaste Oral health education cards Plastic bags with GKAS logo Earloop masks Gowns (5) Fluoride varnish Gauze sponges GKAS Banner
Preventive/Restorative Kit #3 (two sizes - treats 25 or 50 kids) Colgate Children’s Toothbrush Colgate Children’s Toothpaste Oral health education cards Plastic bags with GKAS logo 3M Sealant Kits (2) Prophy angles Prophy paste Earloop masks Gowns (5) Fluoride varnish Gauze sponges Plastic cups GKAS Banner
Product requests for 2022 GKAS events opened on October 1, 2021. The product request deadline will be November 15, 2021.
You may participate; however, you will not be able to receive products from our corporate sponsors. Product kits can only be shipped within the U.S.
Please direct any questions you may still have to gkas@ada.org.