Free children’s dental screenings in Cambridge Feb. 20

Choptank Community Health System is partnering with The Salvation Army of the Mid-Shore in Cambridge, Md. to provide free dental health services for children ages 3 – 17 on Mon., Feb. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

 Choptank Health’s Mobile Unit will be at the Salvation Army to provide dental health screening and health education, with each participating child receiving a goodie bag.

 “Our Mobile Unit is an important component of delivering Choptank Health’s mission to provide access to healthcare,” said Choptank Health CEO Sara Rich. “We’re proud to partner with The Salvation Army to provide these dental services for children, especially during National Children’s Dental Health month.”

 National Children's Dental Health Month is sponsored by the American Dental Association as a month-long health observance bringing together thousands of dedicated professionals, healthcare providers, and educators to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their caregivers, teachers, and many others.

 “We are very excited about this partnership,” said The Salvation Army Residential Programs Manager Shane Walker “We ask the community to come alongside us in supporting this event by sharing this information with families in need.”

 Children need regular oral health checkups beginning when their first teeth erupt, or when a child turns one—and ideally continuing every six months, according to The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

 “We want to encourage parents to take advantage of this opportunity for their children," said Choptank Community Health’s Chief Dental Officer Sandra Garbely-Kerkovich, DMD. “Good oral health beginning at a young age is an important preventative strategy for an individual’s overall health into adulthood.”

 Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, and School-Based health services to more than 30,000 adults and children in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, with a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all. Medical services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, and care navigation, with more at choptankhealth.org.