University of Florida partners with Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures to provide dental care to Gadsden County children

The University of Florida College of Dentistry and Colgate-Palmolive are joining forces to provide free dental screenings and preventive care to children in three Gadsden County schools, Nov. 6, 7 and 8. The effort is part of the UF dental college’s Statewide Network for Community Oral Health.

The project is being initiated by state Rep. Curtis Richardson and is supported by the Florida Dental Association and the State Department of Health. Kimberly Jones-Rudolph, D.M.D., an assistant clinical professor in community-based programs at UF’s College of Dentistry, forged the alliance with Colgate and is overseeing the outreach effort with three dental faculty and 12 dental students.

Dental screenings will be conducted by Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Program, while cleanings and fluoride treatments will be provided by university dental faculty and students. Services will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Havana Elementary School, on Nov. 7 at Stewart Street Elementary School and on Nov. 8 at St. Johns Elementary School.

In advance of the event, parental consent forms were sent by the Gadsden County School Board to parents of students in these selected schools. Only children whose parents signed and returned the consent forms will receive the free dental screenings and services.

Jones-Rudolph said the three-day event is “one of several projects being planned to improve oral health services for both adults and children in Gadsden County.”

“The team effort—comprised of Rep. Richardson, the dental school, Gadsden Medical Center, Baptist Mobile and the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Dental Vans, and the local dental community—is committed to implementing the community outreach efforts to improve the oral health status of Gadsden County residents,” Jones-Rudolph said.

Since 1991, Colgate-Palmolive has been working with the National Dental Association and other dental organizations to reach millions of underserved children through the Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Program. This program is a community-based oral health education and preventative treatment program for children ages 1-12. The core elements include in-school curriculum, community awareness activities and mobile dental vans staffed by volunteer dentists. To date, the program has reached more than 34 million children in the United States and is focused on reaching 100 million children by 2010.

For information, contact Fred Bates at the Gadsden County School Board at (850) 627-9651; Dr. Jones-Rudolph at (352) 392-7473; and Rei Perez at Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Future, (212) 310-2547.