Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz stops by to see Rego Park kids receiving free dental care at New York University’s Smiling Faces, Going Places Mobile Dental Van. Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Koslowitz’s office.
Rego Park children as young as 2 years old got free dental treatment at the Smiling Faces, Going Place Mobile Dental Van on July 16 and 17 right in front of P.S. 139.
The van is run out of New York University’s College of Dentistry, and the city council partnered with the program to bring it to locations throughout the city.
In the 2013 budget, the council as a whole gave $268,000 to the program.
In Rego Park and anywhere else it stops, kids received free and comprehensive oral examinations, and preventative services such as cleaning, fluoride treatment, sealants, and cavity fillings.
The van is now in its 12th year of operation and has made stops at more than 60 public schools in all five boroughs.
In that time, it’s served more than 20,000 kids in the city.
“We all know that routine dental visits and proper oral hygiene is a critical component of comprehen- sive health care for children,” said Rego Park’s Councilwoman, Karen Koslowitz, “but we also know how expensive dental treatments can be. It is why I am proud to allocate funding to the NYU Mobile dental van which provides quality and critically-vital services to kids in need of dental treatments that might be otherwise overlooked due to the high costs associated with even the simplest procedures.”
