Illinois Legislators Tour SIU SDM During Free Dental Care Event to Give Kids A Smile

Illinois Legislators Tour SIU SDM During Free Dental Care Event to Give Kids A Smile

"They cleaned my teeth really good, and now they feel a lot better," said eight-year-old Kazan Mohammad who visited Southern Illinois University School of Dental Medicine (SIU SDM) during Give Kids A Smile (GKAS), a day of free comprehensive dental care for children aged three to 13. This day of care, which involved all D1 through D4 students, many graduate students, alumni, dental and biomedical faculty, is in its 20th year. The total value of treatment: $89,352.

"We've been calling around for almost two years trying to find a dentist for him. A lot of places have really long waiting lists, or they're not taking new patients," said Kazan's father, Eddie Mohammad. "A few clinics we tried even closed down. When we saw the flyer from his school about this event, we signed up right away."

"We really are grateful for the opportunity to take time to reach out to our community and provide these dental services, especially to many who would otherwise have a difficult time finding a dentist," said organizer Katie Kosten, DMD, FACD, FICD, FPFA, Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Community Dentistry. "We're not just doing cleanings and exams. We're doing fillings, stainless-steel crowns, baby root canals, extractions and referring kids for general anesthesia and orthodontics if they need it."

Four-year old Lucas Ahlvars has been seeing the dentist since he was two years old. During the free dental care event he got a cavity filled. "Not very many dentists in the area actually accept our insurance," said Lucas' mother, Taylor Ahlvars. "It's great for the community."

"Our clinic is a safety net clinic for central and southern Illinois, for families that can't afford to go to private dentists," said Saulius Drukteinis, DMD, MS, PhD, Dean of SIU SDM. "Sixty-five percent of our care is through Medicaid, and our fees are much lower than going to a private dentist. So we rely on that support to provide the care that we provide to our patients."

Drukteinis, SIUE Chancellor James T. Minor, PhD, Provost Denise Cobb, PhD, Interim Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs Dan Ketteman, DDS, and Kosten hosted a gathering of local legislators to experience GKAS in person and tour the facilities. Staff for State Reps. Kevin Schmidt of the 114th District and Jay Hoffmann of the 113th District joined Rep. Amy Elik of the 111th District, Rep. Paul Jacobs of the 118th District and Rep. Katie Stuart of the 112th District for the visit.

"It was truly a special day to have our regional State Legislators and representatives from the Illinois State Dental Society share in our Give Kids A Smile event and see the clinics and training facilities for our exceptional students," said Drukteinis. "We were also very glad to have our guests express appreciation for the dedication of our SIU School of Dental Medicine faculty, staff, and students in caring for the families of our communities in need of oral healthcare."

For a number of young patients and their families, GKAS was their first dental visit. The patients started their day in the campus gym next door to the clinic where they received balloon animals, played educational games and took photos with two tooth fairies.

"They're obviously kind of scared walking around here, so it's a nice time to kind of sit here with them and take a picture," said D1 student Andy Burns who dressed the part. "They can kind of smile and have a good time."

Tooth fairy Brailey McGrath, a D1 student, also comforted the patients.

"They hear about the tooth fairy, but they never get to see one," said McGrath, who had memories of her own when she was their age. "I busted out my front teeth at eight years old. The missing front teeth are cosmetic at that point, so Medicaid doesn't cover that. Having a dentist that was able to say, 'Hey, you know what? I'm going to do this for you and your family,' I was like, I want to be a dentist."

The School of Nursing (SON) also took part in the day of care via the We Care Clinic mobile health unit.

"This collaboration is vital. It is especially important with the October 15, 2025 school exclusion date, because students without required physicals and vaccines by that deadline would not have been allowed to attend school," said Myjal Garner, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, assistant professor in the SON and Interim Director of the SON WE CARE Clinic. "It also trains nursing and dental students to work interprofessionally and to communicate effectively with communities experiencing health disparities shaped by social determinants of health."

She added, "One of the things I absolutely love about the We Care Clinic is that we see patients regardless of their insurance status. If a patient has insurance, we'll bill that insurance. If they don't, we use a sliding scale so visits can be anywhere from $0 to $25 - and if they don't have that amount, we still see them."

As Drukteinis noted, families who took part in GKAS overcame the fear of both going to the dentist because of pain and the fear of the cost of dental treatment.

"We're looking to increase access to care by overcoming the obstacle of seeing the dentist," said Drukteinis. "Providing free dental care, free screenings, free preventive care, free restorative care for children to get the families in the habit of coming to the dentist and not being afraid. If we can do that earlier on, it helps save costs later on in their lives, because dental care can become very expensive if you wait to treat them for dental disease."

"This program is a blessing. I hope they keep doing it because it really helps families who just want to take care of their kids," said Eddie Mohammad.

His son Kazan was thankful for the student practitioners. "I just want to tell them thank you for helping me-except the stuff they put in my mouth tasted really bad," he added with a laugh.

The continuing efforts of SIU SDM students, faculty and alumni volunteers to introduce children to a dentist early through GKAS is one Kosten sees as an essential first step.

"This is always a special day for us here at SIU SDM," she said. "The families who come see us are always such a joy, and we appreciate them entrusting us with their care. Our students, staff, and faculty are simply the best, and I really appreciate everything they all do each year to make this event a success."

PHOTOS: Eight-year-old Kazan Mohammad (in dentist chair); photos by Howard Ash