Del. dentists provide free dental services to children in need

Saturday morning, dozens of children got their teeth checked, cleaned, and treated. This was all part of an event called Give Kids A Smile. The event brings dentists and hygienists together to provide free dental services to underserved children.

"We want to educate parents and children about proper hygiene and proper diet and recognizing that most dental diseases are preventable," says Dr. Robert Kacmarcik.

This event is put on by the American Dental Association and the Delaware State Dental Society in an effort to eliminate oral health disparities. According to the Delaware State Dental Society, 1 in 4 children under 5 years old have cavities.

"We want to treat it at its earliest stage. So diagnosis and prevention is our main goal today,' says Dr. Kacmarcik.

47 ABC caught up with a few children who were waiting to get their teeth checked. Eight year old Fracisca Morales tells us she was a little nervous for her dental examine.

"We want to give these kids a good experience so in the future hopefully they do want to see dentists more often," says Douglas Ditty, the President of Give Kids A Smile.

Ditty tells us the goal of this event is to get children referred to dentists and encourage folks to make dental health a priority.

"We want them to know that there is open chair time. There is availability for scheduling and appointments,' says Ditty.

Governor Carney was also in attendance at Giver Kids A Smile. He tells 47 ABC the event is significant  especially in providing these resources to residents living downstate.