Children in need will receive needed dental treatment and care this month as part of the Arizona Dental Foundation’s Give Kids a Smile. This year, the foundation will provide more than 1,200 children from low-income schools free restorative care through statewide activities.

Editor’s note: This piece is a follow-up to a pair of 2012 Tribune stories on the fight for life by Broxton Taylor of Gilbert, who died in April 2012 of complications from Batten Disease. Find those stories at evtnow.com/run4broxton and evtnow.com/broxtonlegacy. The second “Run for Broxton” fundraising event is scheduled for Sunday. For more details, visit runforbroxton.com. A longer version of this piece -- the author's original scientific journal article -- can be found at the link below.

Children in need will receive needed dental treatment and care this month as part of the Arizona Dental Foundation’s Give Kids a Smile. This year, the foundation will continue its record-setting pace, providing more than 1,200 children from low-income schools free restorative care through statewide activities.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dogs and cats can't brush, spit, gargle or floss on their own. So owners who want to avoid bad pet breath will need to lend a hand.

In today’s business world, catering to a specialized audience has allowed one East valley company to blossom into its CEO’s ultimate dream.

Comfort Dental will offer free dental care to those in need at two Mesa offices 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 24.

This weekend, the floor of the Arizona State Fairgrounds Coliseum will be transformed into a large dental clinic for people seeking care.

Mesa’s Comfort Dental, 1130 S. Country Club Drive, will offer free dental care to those in need from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 24 as part of the company’s national Care Day. Nationally, about 300 Comfort Dental dentists and 1,300 staff members donate their time on Care Day.

A Mesa dentist hopes to add some serious fun to Halloween.

The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has announced nominees for the 2012 Palo Verde Business Woman of the Year and the 10 women are well known in the community for not only their business but their service.

The city of Phoenix has decided to continue fluoridating city water after hearing testimony for and against the practice on Tuesday.

The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), a professional association of more than 37,000 general dentists dedicated to providing quality dental care and oral health education to the public, announced that Bradley J. Sandvik, DMD, MAGD, of Phoenix, received the association’s 2012 Mastership Award during the AGD 2012 Annual Meeting and Exhibits June 21-24 in Philadelphia.

The Gilbert Public Works director has retired and the water director has been dismissed after the town began investigating why one of its water treatment plants failed to fluoridate the water.

Linda Hunt, CEO of Dignity Health Arizona, and Dr. Jack Dillenberg, dean of the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ASDOH) at A.T. Still University in Mesa, have been named the East Valley Man and Woman of the Year by East Valley Fresh Start.

Phoenix residents have scheduled a public debate on water fluoridation in advance of an upcoming city council vote on whether to continue putting fluoride in the city’s water supply.

On Aug. 24, 2012, it was reported that the town of Gilbert water supply has had no fluoride added to the water for the last 13 months. The North Water Treatment plant in Gilbert has just notified city management. If routine water tests are done every day, there should not be any reason why it took 13 months to notify the officials and the town. Fluoride should be added in our water supply. Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay in children and adults. Adding fluoride is the most cost effective way to prevent tooth decay in the community. If it took 13 months for the officials to notify the Gilbert residents, what else are they hiding?

Team Orthodontics and Jungle Roots Children’s Dentistry have joined forces to open a new location offering coordinated, one-stop pediatric and orthodontic care for patients 18 months to 18 years old. The new location, opening Sept. 15, will be in the San Tan Village mall in Gilbert. Dr. Ken Danyluk of Team Orthodontics and Dr. John Culp of Jungle Roots both operate separate Ahwatukee practices and will continue to do so after opening the San Tan Village location.

This year’s Back to School special section would not have been possible without the support of so many businesses and schools in the East Valley. We know every dollar counts these days, and we appreciate you choosing to advertise in our newspaper.

Not long ago, you would have found sheep roaming across the street from the relatively struggling “Downtown Ocotillo” development, according to developer Spike Lawrence.

I am a firm believer in freedom of speech and expression, however I do not understand why there is not stricter zoning in most towns in the East Valley.

Four Peaks Brewing Company and Children's Dental Village were honored Tuesday as recipients of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce's 2012 Business Excellence Awards.

On March 10, about 50 social service agencies and 300 health professionals and volunteers will come together at Walker Butte Elementary School in Johnson Ranch to take care of those from the Queen Creek, San Tan Valley and Florence areas who are uninsured or underinsured. More than 1,000 people in need sought care at last year's inaugural Compassion Queen Creek event; this year's event will likely draw the same number or more.

Dental care can expensive. But on Friday, Feb. 17 one Valley dentist is planning to help 100 patients during a free dental care event.