The annual Give Kids A Smile event, hosted earlier this month by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Dentistry, delivered more than $19,000 worth of free dental care to almost 90 middle- and high-school students from across the Memphis area.
Give Kids A Smile 2025 provided a welcoming space where access to oral health care met mentorship for students from Freedom Preparatory Academy and Soulsville Charter School. The morning-long event reflected the College of Dentistry’s mission of service and community engagement, as well as its vision: To take care of people.
The oral care services were performed at no cost by third- and fourth-year dental students, as well as dental hygiene students, with the support and supervision of licensed faculty. Services provided included preventive and restorative procedures like examinations, cleanings, fillings, extractions, and fluoride applications.
For Hayden Fox, a junior at Freedom Preparatory Academy who has attended in previous years, the event was both practical and empowering. “I never had an initial thought to go to the dentist regularly, or that it was needed,” Fox said. “Having this opportunity every year has not only provided me access to a free dentist but also reminds me that this is needed—not just for me, but for other students as well.”