海角论坛

On September 9, 2025, the 海角论坛 School of Dentistry partnered with the Kansas City Chiefs to provide free dental care to local children at the TeamSmile event hosted inside Arrowhead Stadium.

Dental students, a dental hygiene student, and faculty members volunteered their time, while past and current Chiefs players, KC Wolf, and the Chiefs Cheerleaders encouraged children to take care of their smiles.

“The Impact We Can Have on the Community”

Nathan Larsen, DDS Class of 2027, explained his motivation for volunteering:

“I chose to volunteer with TeamSmile because of the impact it has on the community. I have little brothers that are around the age of the kids that we saw during Team Smile, and that really motivates me and shows the impact that we can have on the community. I wanted to help those kids that cannot see a regular dentist all the time, make sure they are healthy and can smile, play with friends, or not go to bed hungry because their teeth hurt too much to eat. It has always been important to me to give back to my community, especially with the youth, because it is not their fault for the situation they are in. I want to continue to work with TeamSmile in the future, as well as any organization like it. I was able to meet, play, and talk to a lot of these kids when I was free for a couple of moments, and they are all so amazing and have a unique story.”

Reaching Hundreds of Children

The day’s efforts provided care to nearly 350 children.

Among them, 20 children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities received specialized attention from a collaborative team of occupational therapy students, dental students, a dental hygiene student, and local pediatric dentists.

“A Sense of Fulfillment and Meaning”

For Abigail Sedlacek, DDS Class of 2027, the event was her fourth time volunteering:

“This was my fourth Team Smile event – I love going every time I can. I choose to volunteer for Team Smile because it reaches corners of the community in a very special way. The kiddos that come are vibrant, fun, and many are in desperate need of dental care. I was able to perform some screenings and extractions this time and learn tips and tricks from some of the dentists there. The experience always leaves me with a sense of fulfillment and meaning – being able to give back to a community I love so much is a blessing!”

School of Dentistry Volunteers Shine

The School was strongly represented with student volunteers including:

Sage Newton, Elise Baumann, Mikaylie Parco, Jaime Speichinger, Camden Chastain, Juliana Tomita, Aditi Indurkar, Nathan Larsen, Amrutha Sudarsana Babu, Bhawana Regmi, Claire Rogers, Hannah Lehnhoff, Miranda Januszewski, Andrew Truong, Rebecca Kessler, Abagayle Moody, Carly Jaquez, Elise Artzer, Magi Osterhaus, Sara Haggard-Yingling, Hardi Thacker, Amair Ghuman, and Abigail Sedlacek.

In addition, Grace Wilson, a dental hygiene student, volunteered her time.

Faculty event coordinators and volunteers included:

• Dr. Becky Smith, Clinical Professor, Department of Restorative Clinical Sciences and Team 1 Leader
• Dr. CJ Ehrenberger, Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry
• Prof. Ashley Hobbs, Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Dental Hygiene

Continuing a Legacy of Service

The first TeamSmile event dates back to 2007, when Dr. Bill Busch, a dentist from North Kansas City, MO, partnered with the 海角论坛 School of Dentistry. His inspiration came after learning the tragic story of Deamonte Driver, a 12-year-old from Maryland who passed away due to a tooth infection.

Since then, TeamSmile has grown into a movement dedicated to preventing such tragedies and ensuring children receive the care they need.

Smiles All Around

The Arrowhead event carried on that mission, combining energy, compassion, and teamwork to deliver life-changing care.

Enjoy .