Sunshine Dalton Staff writer

The national campaign "Give Kids a Smile, Inc.," held a clinic in Council Bluffs Feb. 1 through the volunteer efforts of several organizations, dentists and dental assistants. The event took place at the Omni Dental Centre, and children from the area began shuffling into the office at around 11 a.m." We usually leave early on Fridays, but the staff stayed after and donated their time to provide these services," said Teri Lenihan, office manager for Omni Dental. David L. Jones, D.D.S.; James Knott, D.D.S.; and Grant Flenker, D.D.S. have occupied the location at 300 W. Broadway Ste. 300 for around 10 years now. Their joint dental practice has been serving Council Bluffs for more than 30 years. “This is the first time we've done this," Lenihan said. "Dr. Jones hopes to raise awareness so that other offices will get involved in the future.” There were also 12 students in the Dental Assistant program at Iowa Western Community College who volunteered their services. The students will receive credit for the event as a service-learning project. “It’s not required," said Sue Norman, director of the dental assistant program for five years. "It's a great experience, because they have not had much hands-on experience yet.” The dentists, assistants and staff attended to roughly 60 uninsured children and provided cleanings, fillings and other services. The children received "little goody bags" filled with cavity-fighting products and information. "One of the criteria we were looking for were children that were uninsured," said Linda Meyers, Dental Health Coordinator for Child Health Specialty Clinic, also located in the Omni Centre. The children were primarily CHSC patients, students at Lewis Central, Titan Hill and Kreft schools or involved in the Latino Center in the Omni Centre. "The schools provided the transportation," Meyers said. Meyers believes that transportation issues also contribute to the lack of adequate dental care. She provided gas vouchers for children who require follow-up care. The vouchers and other supplies were made possible through a grant from Delta Dental, the organization responsible for "Give Kids a Smile." Sullivan-Schein Dental services also donated polishes and other supplies for the event. The workshop was Omni Dental Centre's way of kicking off Dental Health Awareness Month, which is observed during February. Those involved hope to make it an annual event, with many local dental providers contributing to area children and giving them a real reason to smile.