Kids Smiles' goal is not simply clinical care, but health empowerment. Our award-winning model is a multi-faceted approach that addresses common barriers to oral health care, such as: lack of access to services, lack of integration between primary and oral health care, cost of care, and low oral health literacy.
Each of Kids Smiles' programs and services were established to address some if not several of these common barriers, but combined are both unique and still replicable, ensuring that the community and its children have permanent access to programs and services that will improve future health outcomes.
Kids Smiles’ child-friendly dental centers provide patients with comprehensive oral health care including exams, cleanings, x-rays, fluoride varnish, sealants, fillings, pulpotomy, simple extractions, nitrous oxide, and other advanced restorative treatment.
Inclusive Dental increases access to dental care for children with disabilities and special needs through customized, one-on-one, patient-centered oral health services and resources.
The Grin & Share It program helps uninsured children establish a dental home by providing free dental care to patients with limited or no insurance and assists families in obtaining insurance coverage for long-term preventive care.
OHPCP is an innovative program that promotes the integration of oral health and primary health by providing preventive dental services and oral health education to children in Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s (PCOM) Lancaster Avenue primary healthcare center.
Kids Smiles collaborates with a third party insurance company to provide oral health education from a dental hygienist by phone to parents and caregivers and encourages them to schedule dental appointments for their children.
First Smiles promotes the importance of the Year One dental visit and empowers parents with the knowledge, skills, and resources to begin an oral health routine for their infants and toddlers. First Smiles messaging is incorporated into all Kids Smiles education and outreach programming.
Some of our targeted areas of outreach include:
- Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) primary care centers
- Head Start and Early Head Start programs
- WIC clinics
Student-Based Education– Kids Smiles community educators use our award-winning oral health curriculum to deliver culturally-sensitive, hands-on lessons to children in pre-school through high school in public, private, and charter schools.
School-Based Dental Screenings – Kids Smiles’ dental screenings are performed by a licensed Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner in partner schools and early learning centers. The screenings are designed to identify oral health issues and connect children to a dental home for ongoing care.
Dental Detective Academy
The Dental Detective Academy is delivered year-round by Kids Smiles educators and volunteers to patients and their families in our dental center waiting rooms. Children and adults learn about nutrition, proper brushing, and healthy lifestyle habits through hands-on lessons, experiments, and other activities.
Parent/Caregiver Workshops
Kids Smiles’ workshops reach the decision-makers within underserved families and communities in a variety of formal and informal settings. Parents/caregivers are empowered with knowledge and resources to make healthy lifestyle choices for their families
Primary Care Partners Program
The PCP Program introduces families to healthy lifestyle behaviors through one-on-one parent interactions, educational lessons for children, and assistance in scheduling dental appointments at Kids Smiles “on the spot” in CHOP primary care center waiting rooms and WIC clinic waiting rooms.
Early Childhood Caries Prevention Program (ECCP)
The ECCP Program provides annual dental exams to children enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start programs and provides EHS/HS teachers, students and parents with oral health education and resources.
Turning Points Partnership
Kids Smiles’ partnership with Turning Points for Children provides essential dental care to children entering the foster care system and helps foster families establish a dental home.
Kids Smiles Business Center
219 B Chester Pike
Norwood, PA 19074
215-365-1033
Kids Smiles is a 501(C)(3) Nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 30-0249717
