University of Texas Health Science Center dentists recently were overwhelmed with patients, with 750 students descending on their campus en masse for dental work over a two-day period.

But the onslaught was by design: in conjunction with “National Give Kids a Smile Day,” UTHSCSA dentists and dental students put dental sealant into the mouths of second-graders from the Edgewood Independent School District – a procedure that would normally cost about $35 – for free.

“This is the profession giving back and raising these kids’ awareness,” said Gary Guest, UTHSCSA’s pre-doctoral clinics assistant dean. “I like to think after seven years, we’re preventing a fair amount of tooth decay. And there’s satisfaction knowing we provided access to care to a group that may not have had that.”

The sealant is the dental version of fingernail polish. It’s designed to prevent decay as it bonds into teeth fissures.

For the seventh year, the event took place Feb. 1 and Feb. 8. Because of its predominance of low-income students, Edgewood has been the school district of choice for the annual event, said UTHSCSA spokesman Will Samson.

The reason for second-graders to be selected for the treatment is that their sixth-year molars generally make their appearance by that age, Guest said.

“The silent partner in the whole thing is the Methodist Health Care Ministry,” Guest said. He also credited Edgewood district nurse Julia Garcia, who helped coordinate the event from the school district’s end.

Kids arrived on buses over the course of two days for the anesthesia-less treatment. Each group split into two morning shifts. But instead of making their visit seem clinical, the center’s staff strives each year to make it as fun as possible, Guest said.

“We treat it like a field trip, because it’s supposed to be a positive experience for the children,” he said. “They’re very apprehensive at first.”

To make the event fun, the second-graders from up to nine Edgewood elementary schools receive tips on dental hygiene and are given care packages containing stickers along with a toothbrush and other dental products to take home, Guest said.

“We mobilize all the troops and have 200 dental chairs with out dental students working in teams,” Guest said.