We are a nonprofit company dedicated to providing dental care to disadvantaged children in South Carolina. We provide oral health education, preventive dental services, and restorative dental services. These services can include screenings, cleanings, protective fluoride treatments, sealants, and fillings. You can see details on our Services page.
We are a school-based program. For many children, a dental visit typically means missing a large part of the school day. Also, a parent will usually have to take time off from work and arrange for transportation to and from the dental office. All of this can be a burden for many families. By treating the children at their school, we significantly reduce missed school time, parents don’t have to miss work, and there are no extra transportation needs.
Background
Tooth decay is preventable. However, it remains one of the most common chronic childhood problems. Untreated tooth decay can lead to pain and suffering. This may affect eating, speaking, and the ability of children to pay attention in class. According to Dr. Doyle Williams, Chief Dental Officer at Doral Dental Management, “Each year 51 million school hours are lost due to decay and the pain and suffering it causes if left untreated.” Source: Today’s Health, NBC-TV, 4 February 2008.
The government, at both the federal and state level, recognizes the problem. School aged children with the most need are often not able to receive the dental services they need. In many cases this is because of economic concerns. At both the federal and state level, they have set up guidelines for programs to address the issue. In South Carolina, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) created guidelines for a School-based Dental Prevention Program (SDPP). We follow these guidelines. Unfortunately, neither the federal nor the state governments provide any funding to address the problem.
For many children there are often significant barriers to good dental care. These barriers can include lack of dental coverage, the inability to pay for dental services, and access problems including the lack of transportation to get a child to a dental office. We set up our program to try to make it as easy as possible for children to get the needed dental care. Instead of forcing the children to come to us, we go where the children already are, in their schools. Some children have dental coverage, and some parents can afford to pay for dental care. Our primary goal is to reach students without coverage and who can’t pay. We treat students who can’t receive dental care any other way.
History
South Carolina Dental Screening Associates, LLP set up a program to provide portable dentistry in schools. This solved the problem of children with access problems, those who couldn’t go to a dentist’s office. Unfortunately, there were many children without dental coverage and who were in families that could not pay for services. This was a big enough problem that Dental Screening Associates needed some help.
Our program, then using the name Classy Smiles, was set up as a nonprofit corporation to help those children who fell through the cracks. Our primary purpose is to raise money to pay for dental treatments for children without dental coverage and with no way to pay for treatment. So far, we have been successful in treating many children who might never have received dental services without our program.
We have recently changed our name from Classy Smiles to SC Smiles Dental. Our new name now emphasizes our South Carolina roots. We may have a new name, but we are still providing the same necessary services.
Also, we have recently added a new capability to our program. Previously we did our work inside the school buildings using portable equipment that we carried in. We recently got a recreational vehicle that we have refitted as a portable dental exam room. Now we can park this at a school and treat children in the RV. This gives us more flexibility in how we treat students. It will be especially useful if outside organizations are not allowed in the schools as happened during some of the recent COVID-19 restrictions.
Funding
We are an established 501(c)(3) organization, registered with both the IRS and with the South Carolina Office of the Secretary of State. This means that any donations made to us are tax deductible.
As previously noted, neither the federal government nor the state provides any funding. We rely on grants from organizations or companies, on private donations, and on various fund-raising activities. All of the administrative costs of our program are donated. Therefore, almost all money received goes toward providing services to the children.
The People Who Make This Happen
SC Smiles Dental – Key Personnel
Clinical Director
Dr. Marlene Mendez, DMD
Executive Director
Larry Nieman
SC Smiles Dental – Board
- Peter Goodman – President
- Simiya Kelly – Vice President
- Lauren Balogh – Secretary
- Regina Ball – Treasurer
- Susan Carolina – Member
- Dr. Bob Farrar – Member
- Tim Johnson – Member
- Emily Smith – Member