Adela Moreno said she is blessed that her son Nicolas, 13, and daughter Tina, 11, were accepted into the Smiles for Kids program coordinated by the Sacramento District Dental Society.

The Smiles for Kids event took place Saturday at 27 private dentist offices throughout the Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. Each dentist office performed free dental work, from teeth cleanings to orthodontics, on approximately 600 to 700 children in the program.

Moreno’s husband works on roof removals and does not receive income during the rainy seasons. In addition, the family does not have dental insurance to cover the children’s needed orthodontic work. These expenses will be covered through the Smiles for Kids program at no cost to the Moreno family.

“At the time when we got the program, when it was introduced to us at the Maple Elementary, it was like blessings fell right in our hands,” Moreno said. “We had a chance to attend to the kids (and) get all their dental work done. We’re just very pleased and thankful that we were introduced to this program here.”

Tina Moreno underwent dental work for gum problems and braces during Saturday’s event at Donald Rollofsons’ Orthodontics Office in Elk Grove.

Tina left her appointment with a backpack filled with dental and school supplies that was provided by the Sacramento State Pre-Dental Association.

Approximately 300 backpacks were given to underprivileged children who attended the event as part of the Pre-Dental Associations’ Project Backpack. Members of the association delivered into the open hands of children ages three to 18 the remainder of backpacks that had not been distributed to each office prior to the event.

“It’s a great conjunction of different pro bono things with free dental care and our backpacks,” said Jesse Manton, president of the Pre-Dental Association. “It really just gives you a great feeling of philanthropy and happiness that you can give something to these kids that the families couldn’t afford.”

Children who received gifts smiled as they held or wore the green backpacks, and members of the association expressed happiness at helping out.

“(The children) are coming out with a good experience,” said Preet Sidhu, member of the Pre-Dental Association. “They come in here and they are scared, and they come out and they are awarded. And it’s good to be part of that experience when they come out. You can see the smile when you give them a backpack.”

The idea for Project Backpack was created during an officer meeting of the Pre-Dental Association one and a half years ago. Manton said the officers determined every child should be entitled to healthy teeth and an education.

Manton said they thought about how they could help give the kids what they didn’t have in life: money for dental care.

“They probably don’t have the money to purchase the essential school supplies and dental supplies that they need, which is easy; that’s an easy cost to work with. And getting the backpack to put them all together was just the icing on the cake,” Manton said.

Some of the participating dentist offices provided children with goody bags filled with dental supplies in addition to the backpacks. Emily Rodriguez, coordinator for Smiles for Kids, said the parents and children were appreciative of the backpacks provided by the Pre-Dental Association.

“We have never had anything this nice to give to our patients,” Rodriguez said.A couple members of the association assisted in performing dental work at the event. Kristen Adams, co-president of the Pre-Dental Association, became a Registered Dental Assistant in Extended Functions, including sealants and x-rays, at 18 years old.

Adams assisted at her father’s private dental practice since she was 16 years old and said she enjoys helping out on Smiles for Kids day.

“It’s wonderful because it’s not (the children’s) fault. I like to help the children. If they have tooth decay, it’s because of their parents,” Adams said.

Cathy Levering, executive director of the Sacramento District Dental Society, said children are screened in the fall through school districts within participating areas and those in most need of dental work are chosen for the program.

“It’s such a need for the community,” Levering said. “I think we do so many wonderful things for the community. Kids lose school hours because of bad dental health and infection. The more that we can do for them to help keep them out of pain is better.”

According to statistics provided by Levering, the Smiles for Kids program has received $6 million in donations and served about 9,000 children since its creation in 1991.

Each private dentist office participating in the annual event donates all funds for the dental work and receives a gift certificate to replenish the site’s supplies funded through grants applied for by the Sacramento District Dental Society, Levering said.

The Pre-Dental Association was revived two years ago with the purpose of helping Sac State students with aspirations in the dental realm to accomplish tasks, Manton said. Students participating in the Pre-Dental Association volunteered for charities, including Habitat for Humanity, and developed networking skills within the dental community.

In order to purchase supplies for Project Backpack 2008, the Pre-Dental Association held fundraisers throughout the year. One of the fundraisers was a a wine-tasting event.

On April 4, another wine-tasting event will be held at the Sac State Alumni Center to fund Project Backpack 2009.

Tickets are on sale for $50 per person through the Pre-Dental Association’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/csuspredentalclub.

Ashley Downton can be reached at [email protected]