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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMILEFEST 2002: HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN RECEIVE FREE DENTAL TREATMENTS

HONOLULU (February 23, 2002) – Hundreds of children who might have otherwise gone without received free fluoride treatments at the Honolulu Zoo today. The Hawaii Family Dental Centers (HFDC) and The Hawai`i Uninsured Project (HUP) hosted SmileFest 2002 at the zoo to celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month in February. The free event was held to promote dental health among Hawaii’s keiki.

“Hawaii is known as the health state, but our teeth are the worst in the nation,” said Dr. Gary Kondo, President of Hawaii Dental Group. “Based on Hawaii’s current situation, it has become apparent that there is a great need for the community as a whole to educate and assist families and children who have difficulty receiving the basic necessary dental care and to do what it can until the barriers can be lowered," Kondo added.

“A major barrier for many who cannot afford basic dental care is lack of insurance,” said Andrew Aoki, Executive Administrator of the HMSA Foundation. “We must all work together toward a solution to this problem as it affects all of us. In fact, research has shown that many parents use the emergency room to obtain primary dental care for their children, even though simple preventive checkups could have headed off the advanced problems often seen under those circumstances, making treatment less expensive. This results in a severe financial impact on the state and ultimately on the taxpayer,” Aoki added.

Dental health among Hawaii’s children is significantly worse than the rest of the nation. This campaign attempts to reach children throughout the state with a great need for dental health assistance because of their high rates of tooth decay. The facts about dental health in Hawaii help illustrate the need for long-term solutions to this serious problem…

Our children have the worst dental health in the nation, with double the number of cavities, three times the rate of baby bottle tooth decay, and a third more unmet treatment needs. Filipino, Southeast Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Korean children have cavity rates three times the national average.
At least 350,000 Hawaii residents are uninsured for dental care and another 75,000 children have inadequate access because their benefits are covered under Medicaid or QUEST. These numbers add up to more than one third of the state’s population.

“We hope the SmileFest campaign helped those who are economically disadvantaged have access to the basic care and education provided to all other children, helping to prevent the negative impact that untreated tooth decay can have on a child’s ability to eat, sleep, speak and learn,” said Aoki.

In addition to fluoride treatments thousands received free toothbrushes and dental health and nutrition information at the event. Families also enjoyed free entertainment at the event with rides, games, clowns, magicians, prizes and giveaways. About 36,000 passes were handed out for free admission to the zoo prior to the event.

Free fluoride treatments are also being provided on the neighbor islands. Those on the neighbor island should call the following numbers for an appointment:

Maui - HFDC Kahului - Phone: 877-5328

Hawaii -HFDC Kaiko'o Mall - Phone: 935-6620
HFDC Kailua-Kona - Phone: 329-0025
HFDC Waikoloa - Phone: 883-9100

Kauai - HFDC Kukui Grove - Phone: 245-6363

Established in 1987, the Hawaii Family Dental Centers (HFDC) is the largest dental group practice in the state providing dental care and treatment at eleven locations on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. HFDC serves a population of approximately 80,000 patients comprised of individuals who have conventional dental insurance coverage, Medicaid coverage, or no dental coverage at all. HFDC has 150 employees, with 35 dentists and 15 hygienists among them. HFDC’s mission is to provide quality dental care to as many people as possible without discrimination against any individual or population. HFDC is committed to giving back to the communities in which it operates.

Lack of health insurance is a problem here in Hawaii that has both individual and social costs. Research has shown that people who lack health insurance are more likely to delay seeking care, less likely to use preventative services and four times more likely to require avoidable hospitalization. The resulting social costs are reflected in higher health care costs, decreased productivity and social services that are paid for by all taxpayers. In response, a collaboration of many organizations including the HMSA Foundation, the State Department of Health, Papa Ola Lokahi, the Hawai`i Primary Care Association, the Hawai`i Health Information Corporation, and others initiated The Hawai`i Uninsured Project, which is dedicated to dramatically reduce the number of uninsured people in Hawaii.

For more information on The Hawai`i Uninsured Project and to find out ways you can help log on to www.hmsafoundation.org/uninsured.