The UF College of Dentistry’s 11th annual Super Sealant Saturday drew early attention from local television and campus media, which highlighted the student-led initiative set to deliver free dental care and oral health education to more than 400 children.
Even before the clinic doors open on Feb. 19, this early coverage recognizes the power of student‑driven initiatives to help fill critical gaps in community dental care. This is especially powerful in a state where an estimated 6 million people face barriers to treatment.
Local Television Spotlights Student Leadership
WCJB TV20 featured Super Sealant Saturday in a Jan. 30 broadcast and online story, highlighting this year’s “Toy Story” theme and the passion driving student organizers.
“I think if dental school taught me the science of dentistry, Super Sealant taught me the heart of dentistry. I watched it transform into something immensely beautiful,” Super Sealant student-organizer Romina Homayoun, a fourth-year dental student, told WCJB.
The local news segment highlighted how this UFCD event turns what many children dread into a genuinely joyful experience. This is thanks in part to a whimsical atmosphere where volunteers and practitioners dress as characters like the college’s Mighty Molar mascot and, this year, Mr. Potato Head and Rex the dinosaur.
“The kids get to play with them and interact with all the volunteers,” Homayoun told WCJB. “They get face painting, a puppet show, and they essentially get the most fun dental visit they will probably ever get.”
The coverage also emphasized the event’s growing reach, noting that volunteers include not only UFCD students but also pre-dental students from across Florida and even out of state.
Student Journalism Highlights Community Need and Student-led Solution
While WCJB emphasized the event’s hands‑on, community‑focused experience, student journalists at The Independent Florida Alligator captured a wider view of the systemic oral‑health challenges Super Sealant Saturday helps to address.
In a Jan. 26 article titled, “Millhopper Family Dentistry, UF to host free dental clinics in February,” sophomore journalism student Lily Hartzema situates the event within the region’s broader dental access landscape.
She notes that an estimated 6 million Floridians face significant barriers to obtaining dental care.
The piece illustrates the essential nature of community resources like Super Sealant Saturday through the story of a local resident unable to afford a needed wisdom tooth extraction.
Classroom inspiration catalyzes annual tradition
The Alligator traces also Super Sealant Saturday’s origins to a community health course taught by Olga Ensz, D.M.D & M.P.H., a clinical associate professor and director of community-based outreach at the College of Dentistry.
“There was a dental student, after attending [a community-based public health rotation], who was really inspired and said, ‘I want to do more for kids in our community and something on a Saturday.’,” Ensz told The Alligator.
That spark of inspiration led dental students Stephen Obeng and Patrick Fitzgerald to co-found the initiative in 2015.
Since then, the event has served more than 1,100 children with close to 200 volunteers making each annual clinic possible.
The Saturday timing itself addresses a key barrier: accessibility for parents who work full time or have busy weekday schedules.
“It’s to help make preventative dental services more accessible for kids,” Ensz explained. “It’s also to make it a really positive experience, which is why we always have a fun theme.”
Event Information
Super Sealant Saturday
📅 Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
📍 UF College of Dentistry, 1395 Center Drive, Gainesville
💰 FREE for children ages 1-17
📋 Walk-ins welcome; advance registration recommended