It's important to capture these issues and to educate them early. These can become serious issues if left untreated," said Carla Johnson, New York program coordinator for Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures. The three-day mission was organized through a collaboration between Colgate-Palmolive, the UB School of Dental Medicine, and the Niagara Falls Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, an international volunteer service organization for professional women of color that is committed to enriching the culture and economic survival of African-Americans and people of African ancestry. Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures operates nine state of the art mobile dental vans that are equipped to screen more than 10 million children each year for common oral health conditions. In addition to providing care to underserved youth in rural and urban communities, the program works to raise awareness of the importance of children's dental health.