Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2021, Dr. Dominique Reid, a dentist, has surpassed her goal of giving free dental care to 590 students - aged 12 years and younger, across the island. Dr. Reid and her team assisted a total of 610 students across five (5) parishes with free dental inspections, teeth cleanings and fluoride treatments, through her "Tooth Tour", which saw its seventh and final stop at the Half Way Tree Primary School in St. Andrew on Sunday.

The Tooth Tour is phase 2 of the Festival Queen's national outreach project, Project Healthy Smiles Jamaica, and had a target of 590 students in keeping with Jamaica's 59th anniversary of Independence, which is the Festival Queen's reigning year.   

"I am excited that my vision was brought to life and now the project has come to a fruitful end. I am grateful for the opportunity to assist so many children from across the island, especially those who would have experienced their first dental visit through this project - to make sure that it was a positive experience for them makes me truly grateful. The ending of the project is bittersweet for me, because I am excited to not only have met, but exceed the target that was set, but I will also miss interacting with all the amazing kids each Sunday," Dr. Reid said.

"I am grateful for the team effort that was shown to make this project a success, especially for the participation and support given by the NCU Dental Hygiene department and its students and the JCDC team, as well as the various Festival Queen National Project sponsors, both big and small," Dr. Reid continued.

Meanwhile the national project sponsors are also proud of the Festival Queen’s effort and acknowledge her hard work and dedication in assisting the nation’s youth.

"LASCO Financial Services is thrilled to support the JCDC's National Festival Queen Project, particularly because of its positive impact on communities island wide. Dr. Dominique Reid's project promotes a proactive approach to personal healthcare, which generates a positive impact on young lives," said Danielle Drysdale, Marketing Manager at Lasco Financial Services Ltd

The Tooth Tour began with the May Pen Primary School in Clarendon on Sunday, February 6, where Dr. Reid and her team were able to treat 87 students. This was followed by five other tour stops: the Eltham Park Primary School in St. Catherine on Sunday, February 13, the Villa Road Primary School in Central Manchester on Sunday, February 20, the Goshen All Age School in St. Elizabeth on Sunday, February 27, the Pratville Primary and Infant School in South Manchester on Sunday, March 6 and the Mile Gully Primary School in Manchester North West on Sunday, March 13, with each location seeing at least 80 children receiving treatment.

Phase 1 of the national project was completed in December 2021 and saw the Festival Queen giving interactive talks on the importance of oral healthcare and hygiene called Tooth Talks to hundreds of students across the island via Zoom.  

Project Healthy Smiles Jamaica is sponsored by Lasco Financial Services, with associated sponsorship from Pharmacon International, Kirk Distributors, NCU Dental Hygiene School, Aval Medical Supplies and Disposables, Prophy Paste, Dr. Lawson Myers and Ligunea Family Dental, Three Angels Pharmacy, Captured Moments Photography, Jus Smiles Dental (Junction, St. Elizabeth), Dr. B.J. Thomas Blair of Mandeville Orthodontics, Nurse Faith Bicknell, Karlene Kelly Reid, Karen Kelly Reid and Dr. Irving McKenzie, the Chief Dental Officer for Jamaica.

The Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Competition’s national outreach project is a time-honored tradition and stipulation of the competition, which requires the reigning Festival Queen to use her newly acquired national platform as cultural ambassador to assist with community development and nation building.

Photo Caption:
Eleven year old Kailaya Forbes, a Grade 6 student at the Half Way Tree Primary School (centre) who was the 590th student to receive free dental treatment on Miss Jamaica Festival Queen 2021, Dr. Dominique Reid’s national project Tooth Tour, stands happily with the Festival Queen (left) and Danielle Drysdale, Marketing Manager at Lasco Financial Services Ltd., who presented her with a token to commemorate the special moment.