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Every day, Colgate is making a difference by helping to create healthy smiles for children around the world. In the U.S., Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® provides free dental screenings and oral health education to children through its fleet of mobile dental vans.
Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® currently offers 8 state-of-the art, mobile dental vans that are equipped to screen children for common oral health conditions. Our vans successfully reach children in need by parking in relevant, high traffic areas of interest such as elementary schools, health fairs, community festivals, camps, local retailers and even sporting events.
Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® vans travel to under-served rural and urban communities in the U.S., reaching over 1,000 towns and more than 10 million children each year.
Meet Our Volunteers | About the Exam | Aboard the Mobile Dental Van
Meet Our Volunteers
About the Exam
A screening usually lasts approximately 2 minutes and will be performed by a dental professional.
An assistant will record the screening results, which is later submitted to the administrator of the site. A form indicating findings and a list of referrals for further treatment will be given to the child for his/her parent(s) or guardian's review.
Once the examination is completed, each child receives an oral care kit to take home that contains a tube of Colgate® kid's toothpaste, Colgate® kid's toothbrush and brushing instructions.
Aboard the Mobile Dental Van
Colgate's mobile dental vans measure 32-feet long, nearly the size of a mobile home, and feature friendly visuals to help create a fun and less intimidating ‘screening experience.’
With two child-sized dental chairs aboard, Colgate's Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® screens two children at a time, with the average screening lasting approximately two minutes. With the support of our volunteer dental professionals, children ranging in 3-12 years of age all receive free dental check-ups*, treatment referrals (if needed), and learning materials that include a tube of Colgate® kid's toothpaste, a Colgate® kid's toothbrush and brushing instructions.
* For children who are in need of treatment or who do not have a dentist, we provide referrals so they can visit a dentist in their area and take care of any issues and maintain a healthy mouth.
