(WXIA) -- The Georgia Dental Association will offer free dental services to local children on Friday.

It's part of Give Kids a Smile Day, an annual event that raises awareness of the importance of good oral health. More than 350,000 children nationwide receive dental treatment on every Give Kids a Smile Day.

Several Georgia colleges and health centers will provide dental exams:

Fortis College School of Dental Hygiene
2108 Cobb Parkway SE, Smyrna

Lanier Technical College
2990 Landrum Education Drive, Oakwood

Mercy Health Center
700 Oglethorpe Avenue, Athens

Savannah Technical College
5717 White Bluff Road, Savannah

Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Dental Hygiene Clinic
4089 Val Tech Road, Valdosta

For more information, visit gadental.org.

HALL COUNTY, Ga. -- Hall County Animal Services announced Tuesday that a rabid raccoon was found in the southeastern part of the county.

The raccoon made contact with a dog near Marsh Creek Court. It was shipped to the Georgia Public Health Lab in Decatur, where it tested positive for rabies.

It was the 18th confirmed case of rabies in Hall County this year, and the second one this week. A cat was recently caught in the Tara Trail area; it tested positive for rabies Monday.

Hall County residents who see animals acting sick or abnormally are encouraged to call Animal Services at 770-531-6830.

ATLANTA -- Thousands of Georgia parents are buying sparklers for their children this Fourth of July, thinking they are a safe way to celebrate. But, as a Georgia eye expert warns, sparklers heat up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit -- hot enough to melt some metals -- and are the number one cause of fireworks injuries requiring trips to the emergency room.

Members of the Georgia Optometric Association are urging parents to leave all the fireworks to the professionals and avoid fireworks that may cause serious eye injuries when used inappropriately. Some of the most common fireworks injuries are eye abrasions, lacerations, contusions and foreign matter in the eye. The majority of these cases are related to the use of sparklers.