Smile Kentucky!, a nationally recognized dental program for children, has partnered with the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness to use the department’s mobile health unit at 12 Jefferson County elementary schools for free dental screenings. At Portland Elementary, third, fourth and fifth graders received free dental screenings on the mobile unit.

ABOUT SMILE KENTUCKY!
Smile Kentucky! is a community partnership that tackles what the U.S. Surgeon General has called the number one common, chronic childhood disease, tooth decay. Smile Kentucky! provides dentists and hygienists to do free oral health screenings at school to children in grades three through six and health educators to teach children in kindergarten through sixth grade how to brush and floss teeth, the importance of fluoride and how to identify the amount of sugar in snacks.

Thirty-two schools in Jefferson, Bullitt, Shelby, Washington and Nelson Counties are participating in this year’s program. Over 4,000 children will receive a free dental screening and over 16,000 will take part in education programs.  Smile Kentucky! will identify children with no dental care coverage; those children will receive free treatment at the University of Louisville School of Dentistry on February 1, 2008.