New York, Jan 14 (IANS): Arth Patel, an Indian American student at the UCLA School of Dentistry, earned a $5,000 scholarship for his winning essay on how dental health contributes to the well being of children and families.

Kool Smiles, a provider of quality dental care in underserved communities in the US, announced the winner of its first annual My Kool Smiles Scholarship Fund essay contest, sponsored by the Benevis Foundation, Indiawest.com reported.

"I'm very excited to win the essay contest and to use the scholarship funds to further my education in dental school," said Patel.

In his essay, the UCLA dental student discussed his experience growing up in rural India where quality dental care was not available and how his family benefited from access to community-based dental healthcare programmes after moving to the United States.

Patel discovered his passion for dentistry while volunteering at a local community health clinic.