(Bradenton, Fla., Jan. 14, 2025) — Local children in grades K-12 are invited to free Healthy Smiles preventative dental care events during National Children’s Dental Health Month in February at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF). The events will take place from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1 and 15, in the SCF Dental Hygiene Clinic, 5840 26th St. W, Building 2.

Children can receive cleanings, exams, treatment, dental radiographs, oral health education, nutrition counseling, and sensory assessment screenings. SCF dental hygiene, radiography, and occupational therapy assistant students, alongside SCF dental hygiene faculty and community dental clinicians, will provide services. Space is limited, and registration is encouraged. To register, visit the event registration website or call 941-752-5353.

The Healthy Smiles program served over 150 kids at two similar events at SCF last year. The sensory assessment screenings helped identify additional care needed and referrals were made to local providers for immediate necessary treatment. Parents were invited to return to the clinic for complimentary dental hygiene care. A $10,000 community service grant from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association Institute for Oral Health Foundation/Mars Wrigley Foundation funds the program designed to help combat tooth decay, the number one chronic childhood illness in America, and improve the health and lives of children in need.

For more information about the Dental Hygiene Clinic, visit SCF.edu/Explore/Dental-Hygiene-Clinic/.