University of the Pacific dental and pre-dental students are ensuring children in the community have access to dental care and positive dental experiences through Give Kids a Smile events.

Students helped provide dental care to nearly 200 children across three events in San Francisco, Stockton and Sacramento in February as part of the American and California Dental Associations’ nationwide initiative. 

Professional dental volunteers provided exams, cleanings, extractions, x-rays and other services, with assistance from students. The events also emphasized education, giving families the opportunity to ask questions while volunteers taught children proper oral hygiene habits, including how to brush and floss correctly.

“I wanted to help because positive childhood dental experiences build long-term trust, and I knew these kids deserved that foundation,” said Daniel Tran, a third-year pre-dental student.

Tran was one of about 80 pre-dental students in the College of the Pacific to volunteer at the Stockton event, hosted by the San Joaquin Dental Society Foundation. As a dental assistant, he supported more experienced assistants and volunteer dentists. He also worked closely with two pediatric patients to keep them comfortable during cleanings and sealant placements.

“Working solely with children made this experience stand out,” Tran said. “I have helped at several pop-up clinics serving veterans and high-need populations, but this event felt different because it highlighted how important it is for us, as pre-dental students, to support the very community we live and learn in, especially when there's a clear need for early preventative care.”

Pre-dent student Kylie Lai ’26 guided children and their families through the clinic and helped provide education.

“As volunteers, we spent a lot of time entertaining the children with coloring pages, face painting, balloon animals and more,” Lai said. “There was also a more education-focused play aspect. We helped children use big toothbrushes to brush the teeth of stuffed animals and showed them how to floss with a string of yarn on a large mouth model.”

In San Francisco, volunteer students, faculty and staff from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry provided care to more than 100 children at the Give Kids a Smile event held at the school’s Hutto Patterson Pediatric Dentistry Clinic.

“Our Give Kids A Smile event reflects the very best of our Pediatric Department and the Dugoni School of Dentistry as a whole," said Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry Rinku S. Saini. "I am deeply grateful to our faculty, staff, volunteers, and especially our students, whose compassion and commitment made this day possible. Watching our students care for children in our community is a powerful reminder that dentistry is rooted in service, empathy, and making families feel welcomed and supported. Outreach and service initiatives like Give Kids A Smile embody the humanistic values that define Dugoni and remind us why caring for our community remains at the heart of our mission.”

The Pacific Health Care Collaborative, located on Pacific’s Sacramento Campus, held a Give Kids a Smile event for the first time this year, where they treated 20 patients.

As a future dentist, Lai said volunteering at one the events was eye-opening.

“It made me understand more deeply how critical these services are to so many different people from all backgrounds. Unfortunately, there are so many barriers to accessing dental care for even basic preventative treatments, which can lead to more expensive and severe emergency procedures later on.

“Attending Give Kids a Smile was an insightful glimpse into how people can work together to address local health care needs,” she said.

Learn more about receiving dental care from Pacific in Sacramento and San Francisco.