Blinn's Give Kids a Smile event provides dental care for 65 local children

Dana Wood, who helped launch Blinn's annual Give Kids a Smile event, leaves a legacy of smiles as she retires in May

April 24, 2025

With a smile on her face and an alien antenna headband in her hair, Blinn Dental Hygiene Professor Dana Wood walked purposefully down a darkened hallway decorated in glow in the dark stars. The annual Give Kids a Smile (GKAS) event with a “Your Smile is out of this World” space theme was in full swing.

A national initiative of the American Dental Association, GKAS supplies oral health care to local children who lack access to regular dental care.

“I’m just so proud of how we’ve grown,” Wood said. “By exposing our students to an event like this at the beginning of their careers, our hope is that they have the knowledge and ability to start their own program and that Give Kids a Smile grows exponentially.”

For 16 years, Wood has overseen this annual event, which is coordinated, organized, and executed by Blinn dental hygiene students as a component of their community dentistry course. With Wood set to retire in May, this year’s event has even more meaning.

“It’s amazing to me to see our community come together and support families,” said Wood. “Our program wouldn’t have grown like it has without the help of our volunteers with the Brazos Valley Dental Society, the Brazos Valley Dental Hygiene Society, and all the school districts. We started small and only saw around 30 kids and now we have received national recognition and surpassed efforts from schools that are four or five times our size with our can-do attitude.”

The spirit of volunteerism goes beyond dental care. Blinn’s Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program provided basic health exams for parents and caregivers including blood pressure and weight checks, cholesterol screenings, and glucose screenings. The Bryan Fire Department also was on site for kids to get a look inside of a working firetruck as well as provide information on fire safety.

Along with dental treatments, children enjoyed crafts, door prizes, visits with Marvel and Disney-themed entertainers, and each left with a goody bag filled with tips and tools to promote proper oral health care. To date, Blinn’s participation in GKAS has totaled approximately $293,000 in donated care.

Blinn has the longest running GKAS program among U.S. community colleges, so it’s no surprise the event feels like a homecoming for many of the volunteer hygienists and dentists who return year after year.

Crystal Eschbach, who completed Blinn’s Dental Hygiene Program in 2013 and now works as a dentist in the Lampasas area, didn’t hesitate to get involved.

“Give Kids a Smile is something we did when I was a student and it’s just something that’s very close to my heart,” Eschbach said. “When you’re in school, you get so caught up in getting all your check marks and good grades. Give Kids a Smile puts everything into perspective. It makes you focus on giving back and shows you that you’re not just here for school, you are part of a community. It’s also a great excuse for me to see my old faculty.”

The 2025 GKAS event provided dental care and a memorable day to 65 area children. For Blinn student Kysan Buckner, chair of this year’s GKAS, the goal of the event is to make dental care fun and accessible for families while setting them on a path to make routine care a habit.

“Oral health is just as important as overall health, and we want the kids and parents to really understand that,” Buckner said. “As a kid, going to the dentist was routine for me and I want these kids to have that same feeling. Seeing the kids come in scared and then relax when they interact with us or see Spiderman is what it’s all about. If we make getting their teeth cleaned a positive experience, they are more likely to come back. We want them to take pride in their smiles.”

Wood may be retiring in May, but she’ll be back. She already has next year’s GKAS on her calendar and is focused on coordinating a free restorative care clinic day for children, thanks to the generosity of a local donor. This clinic would provide more extensive procedures, like cavity fillings and root canals, which are not able to be addressed at GKAS.

When she reflects on what she is most proud of with GKAS, Wood doesn’t hesitate. It’s her students.

“As an educator, there’s no better feeling than seeing the passion to serve come out of the students,” Wood said. “You’re training the next generation to be compassionate and to care about their community. It makes you feel good about what you do. Our program doesn’t just offer students a great job and great skills, we teach them to give back.”

In addition to GKAS, the Blinn Dental Hygiene Program offers discounted cleanings and screenings for the public. These sessions are $20 per person and include dental cleanings, x-rays, examinations, fluoride, oral cancer inspections, and sealants. For more information about a clinic visit, call 979-209-7283 or visit www.blinn.edu/dental-hygiene/dental-clinic.html.

To learn more about Blinn’s Dental Hygiene Program, visit www.blinn.edu/dental-hygiene.