The annual Give Kids A Smile event, hosted earlier this month by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry, delivered more than $19,000 worth of free dental care to almost 90 middle- and high-school students from across the Memphis area.
Give Kids A Smile 2025 provided a welcoming space where access to oral health care met mentorship for students from Freedom Preparatory Academy and Soulsville Charter School. The morning-long event reflected the College of Dentistry’s mission of service and community engagement, as well as its vision: To take care of people.
The oral care services were performed at no cost by third- and fourth-year dental students, as well as dental hygiene students, with the support and supervision of licensed faculty. Services provided included preventive and restorative procedures like examinations, cleanings, fillings, extractions, and fluoride applications.
For Hayden Fox, a junior at Freedom Preparatory Academy who has attended in previous years, the event was both practical and empowering. “I never had an initial thought to go to the dentist regularly, or that it was needed,” Fox said. “Having this opportunity every year has not only provided me access to a free dentist but also reminds me that this is needed—not just for me, but for other students as well.”
Daelin Brown, an eighth grader from Soulsville Charter School who participated for the first time, said the experience sparked a new curiosity. “As I was lying there being examined, I had this thought, like, I could do this someday,” Brown said. “Maybe I’d like to be a dentist.”
Now in its second decade at the College of Dentistry, the Give Kids A Smile program continues to highlight the college’s commitment to community care, health equity, and early exposure to careers in dentistry. In addition to clinical services, participants receive oral hygiene education and a chance to engage with dental professionals in a supportive setting.
Give Kids A Smile is a national program launched by the American Dental Association in 2003 to provide underserved children with free oral health care. At the UT Health Science Center College of Dentistry, it has become a cornerstone of the college’s outreach calendar bringing together dental students, faculty, and staff in a shared mission to make a difference in the community.
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