For several years, the Houston Association of Muslim Dentists has partnered with Give Kids A Smile to offer free dental care and oral hygiene education to children.
This year was no different as Dr. Rubina Zaman, vice president of the HAMD group, joined with her fellows in late February at the Multicultural Center to offer visual screenings, cleanings and other preventative care.
Zaman said the free clinic, held at the Muslim-founded Multicultural Center just south of Houston, attracted about 40 children and drew people from all around the Greater Houston Area.
Give Kids a Smile is put on by the American Dental Association and happens in February as part of National Children’s Dental Health Month.
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“Giving back to the community and making sure that all children have access to dental care is so important,” Zaman told AboutIslam.net.
“This program touches the lives of so many Houston children who need oral healthcare instruction, and I’m proud to be part of it.”
Volunteers
Zaman was joined by dentist Dr. Soufian Askar; Dr. Wael Kinaan; Dr. Kauser Bari; Dr. Adeel Khan; Dr. Rabab Sabbahi; Dr. Deena Zaman; Dr. Hasan Khan; Dr. Insiya Ezzi; Dr. Muddasar Tukd, and Dr. Ahmed Alkholeidi. Dental hygienists Mohamed Alzandani and Amani Almahbashi also joined to assist.
Several volunteers pitched in as well, including registered dental assistants Mark So and Rebecca Trevino and students Amirah Alam; Khaled Choucair; Maliha Mir; Aiman Taqueer; Ehsan Khan; Hanan Abdelgalil; Thabet Banat; Bayan Almosa; Nick Dillman; Rahma Abdelgalil, and Jad Choucair.
In addition to the free clinic, Zaman and others traveled to Iman Academy in Houston where they met with approximately 300 students in grades pre-Kindergarten through 12 to talk proper hygiene and give tips on oral education.
Zaman, who founded HAMD nearly 20 years ago and served as its president for many years, said the group boasts more than 200 members on its phone and email communications and welcomes anyone who is a dental school graduate and lives in Houston.
“Mostly our group focuses on providing continuing education dental classes for our dentists as well as social gatherings,” she said.
“We also do community service projects, and we helped to establish the Shifa Clinic with Dr. Yusuf Shere.”
The group also works to collect donations for the community and the homeless, has assisted the Houston refugee population and hosted iftars for them during Ramadan.
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