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Project
Christmas Smile
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Saturday, December 2, 2006
This December, as we gathered with our friends and
families to celebrate the holidays, many of us became
reacquainted with the true meaning of the season. In the
spirit of the season, several Treasure Coast dentists
opened up their hearts and their offices to treat those
less fortunate individuals that could not otherwise
afford dental care. Project Christmas Smile was started
by Dr. James Strawn of Fort Pierce, who believed that no
one should wake up Christmas Day with a toothache. Over
the years, Project Christmas Smile has morphed into a
tri-county effort utilizing four different private
offices and the dental clinic at Indian River Community
College to provide much needed dental care to the
underserved members of the Treasure Coast. For the first
time, Project Christmas Smile was done under the
umbrella of Project: Dentists Care, the FDA’s non-profit
charitable organization. As the Project: Dentists Care
Coordinator for the Treasure Coast, Dr. Reza Ardalan
worked hard to make sure that the work being performed
at each location was accounted for. This year’s event
was held on Saturday, December 2, 2006 and enlisted the
help of 21 doctors, 18 hygienists and 41 dental
assistants. Treasure Coast dentists put forth over 120
hours of volunteer time, treated over 200 patients and
performed close to $50,000 worth of pro-bone work. On
behalf of the Treasure Coast Dental Society and Project:
Dentists Care, we would like to extend our thanks to our
volunteer dentists. Thanks again for all of your time
and effort.
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Give Kids A Smile Day -
Friday, February 2, 2007
 The
Treasure Coast Dental Society held its first annual Give
Kids A Smile Day on Friday, February 2, 2007 at Indian
River Community College. The event was one of many done
under the umbrella of Project: Dentists Care, the
Florida Dental Association’s non-profit charitable
organization. Give Kids A Smile Day is a national dental
access day designated by the American Dental
Association. Last year, Florida dentists donated more
than $500,000 worth of free dental care and treated more
than 2,100 patients during GKAS Day. Working with the
Department of Health’s Volunteer Health Services
Program, local children who would otherwise be unable to
receive necessary dental work were identified for
 treatment.
Volunteers from the Department of Health and Indian
River Community College joined forces with several local
dentists to provide much needed dental services to the
children of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties.
Close to 40 children received free cleanings, exams,
fluoride treatments, and restorative dental work
throughout the day. Volunteer doctors like Dr. Reza
Ardalan along with several dental assistants donated
their time and skills to treat these underserved members
of the community. After the success of this year’s
program, plans have already begun for next year’s event
which promises to be even bigger and better.
DOH-VHS
Champion Dentist of the Year -
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Department of
Health's Volunteer Health Service held its annual award
reception at the Pelican Yacht Club on Friday, April
20th. The banquet celebrates and recognizes all of the
hard work that community members do to provide much
needed care for the underserved. At this year's
banquet, Dr. Reza Ardalan was recognized as the
DOH-VHS Champion Dentist of the Year! Dr. Ardalan was
recognized for his work as Project: Dentists Care
Coordinator and Give Kids A Smile Coordinator for the
Treasure Coast. Dr. Ardalan is excited about continuing
to help provide the necessary dental work to the
underserved members of our community.
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PDC Distinguished
Service
Award - Friday, June 15, 2007
Recently, Dr. Reza Ardalan was selected to give a
presentation at the Florida National Dental Convention
discussing the activities of the Treasure Coast chapter
of Project: Dentists Care. As Project: Dentists Care
Coordinator, Dr. Ardalan was proud to talk about all of
the great community service projects that area dentists
have been involved in. Later that evening, Dr. Ardalan
attended a reception for Atlantic Coast District Dental
Association members where he received a statewide PDC
Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Dental Association.
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St. Lukes Annual Back to School Giveaway -
Saturday, July 21, 2007
 Dr.
Ardalan volunteered to help with this years St. Lukes
Annual Back to School Giveaway on Saturday, July 21st.
The event's mission is to provide a safe, fun and
informative event for students and parents of the
community, many of whom are struggling to provide the
basic needs for their families. Parents and students
were given food and drinks while Dr. Ardalan provided
oral hygiene instruction to over 200 children who also
received a free backpack filled with school supplies, as
well as, oral hygiene supplies. Over 300 people
attended this years event making it the largest so far
and surpassing any of the original estimates.
Junior
League Health Fair at Gertrude Walden Child Care Center
- Saturday, October 20, 2007
 When Dr. Ardalan was asked to help with the Junior
League of Martin County’s first Health Fair, he gladly
accepted. Dr. Ardalan was happy to participate at the
event held at the Gertrude Walden Child Care Center.
Along with several other dentists, Dr. Ardalan provided
free dental screenings and spent time discussing dental
health with parents and children. In addition to the
dental screenings, dozens of volunteers helped provide
the children with free vision, fitness, mental health
and various other health screenings. Not only did
families receive a free brunch and goodie bags with
health supplies, the kids also received bicycle helmets
and door prizes. It was an incredibly worthwhile event
for the members of the community who may not otherwise
have access to these services.
Project Christmas Smile - Saturday, December 1, 2007
As the
Project: Dentists Care Coordinator for the Treasure
Coast, Dr. Ardalan’s main goal for this year’s event was
to increase the amount of free dental services the
community offered. This year’s event was held on
Saturday, December 1, 2007 and enlisted the help of 29
doctors and dozens of hygienists and dental assistants
and the staff and students at IRCC. Treasure Coast
dentists put forth over 140 hours of volunteer time,
treated over 200 patients and performed over $63,000
worth of pro-bono work. Dr. Ardalan would like to thank
all of our volunteers for making this year’s event an
even bigger success than anticipated!!
Give
Kids A Smile Day – Thursday, January 31 and Friday,
February 1, 2008
 As
the Give Kids A Smile Coordinator for the Treasure
Coast, Dr. Ardalan was excited about putting together
the second annual GKAS Day. He had lofty goals of
exceeding the amount of pro-bono dentistry provided last
year. This year’s event took place on Thursday, January
31, 2008 and Friday, February 1, 2008 at Indian River
Community College. Working with the Department of
Health’s School Nurse Program, local children who would
otherwise be unable to receive necessary dental work
were identified for treatment. Volunteers from the
Department of Health and Indian River Community College
joined forces with several local dentists to provide
much needed dental services to the children of the
Treasure Coast. On Thursday, 42 children received free
cleanings, exams, fluoride treatments, and sealants.
Those that needed restorative work returned on Friday
for treatment. Doctors donated over $25,000 worth of
pro-bono dentistry during the two day event and almost
quadrupled last year’s totals.
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award – January 24,
2008 and Tuesday, April 15, 2008
As an active
alumnus of Nova Southeastern University College of
Dental Medicine, Dr. Ardalan strives to represent his
school and his profession in a positive light.
Recently, Dr. Ardalan was recognized for his numerous
accomplishments. On Thursday, January 24th,
Dr. Ardalan was awarded the prestigious Distinguished
Alumni Award from Nova Southeastern University. This
award is the highest honor bestowed on an alumnus by the
President of the University. In addition, Dr. Ardalan
was nominated for Alumnus of the Year for the entire
university by a select panel of faculty and
administrators. Dr. Ardalan was one of six alumni
selected from more than 100,000 NSU alumni living in
more than 63 countries around the world. These are
tremendous accomplishments that reflect the hard work
and dedication that Dr. Ardalan has for his profession.
American
Dental Association Recognition Award – Tuesday, March
11, 2008
At the
Treasure Coast Dental Society’s March business meeting,
Dr. Reza Ardalan was given a special award by the
American Dental Association. The award read, “In
recognition of the significant contributions made by Dr.
Reza Ardalan to increase access to comprehensive dental
care for special population groups.” The award was
signed by the President of the ADA and given to Dr.
Ardalan for his outreach efforts.
DOH-VHS
School Volunteer of the Year - Friday, April 18, 2008
The
Department of Health's Volunteer Health Service again
held its annual award reception at the Pelican Yacht
Club on Friday, April 18th. The banquet celebrates and
recognizes all of the hard work that community members
do to provide much needed care for the underserved. At
this year's banquet, Dr. Reza Ardalan was recognized as
the DOH-VHS School Volunteer of the Year! Dr. Ardalan
was recognized for his volunteer work as part of the St.
Lucie County Oral Health Coalition. His recent
endeavors include doing free screenings on several
hundred area first graders to gather much needed data on
the caries rate in the county.
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