Ai Orthodontics, located at 550 Harrison St., Emmaus, recently hosted its annual pumpkin decorating contest.

Forty-eight dental and orthodontic practices from throughout the greater Lehigh Valley submitted entries. Decorating themes ran the gamut from traditional spooky Halloween to movie classics and beyond.

Entries are judged twice. The on-site judging is done by community members who rate the pumpkins on a scale of 1 to 10 in the categories of artistic impact, effort and creativity. Other fans of the event share their preferences by viewing all the entries on the Ai Orthodontics Facebook page and voting for their favorites online.

This year’s judging panel included Kris Buss, Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, Inc.; Teri Song-McManamon, Emmaus Borough councilwoman; Maryellen Kanarr, Emmaus Public Library director; community volunteers Barbara Baringer, Michelle Lutte, Peggy Kline, Emilie Gysi, Rupa Parikh and her mom Usha, Larry and Patricia Herald and Beverly Springer, Lehigh Valley Press.

Following the in-house judging, contest coordinator Karen Hobson tabulates the scores to determine the winners.

The winning teams enjoy a free lunch courtesy of Ai Orthodontics, but the true winners are children receiving treatment at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

After the pumpkins have been evaluated, Hobson oversees their delivery to the hospital. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s pumpkins must be quarantined before being distributed. Once released from quarantine, the pumpkins are presented to the young patients with the mission to bring smiles.

Congratulations to all the entrants and thank you to Ai Orthodontics.

The following creations received the most points from the in-house judges:

1. Tangled Tower - Hamburg Family Dental - Dr. Katherine Rhodes and Dr. Ashley Stuart

2. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Upper Bucks Dental Arts - Dr. Kelly Halle Brown

3. The Claw - Quakertown Family Dental Center, Dr. Brian Schoenly, Dr. Majid Dastgir and Dr. Lisa Marie Price

4. Pick a Pop - Sloane & Oppenheim, Allentown - Dr. Vinky S. Pathak and Dr. Linda T. Warren

5. Sonic The Hedgehog - Dr. Dana Cope - Orefield

6. Tractor LVE-209 - Lehigh Valley Endodontics - Dr. Timothy Lin, Dr. Jamie Kang and Dr. Thomas Graham

6. Miss Flamingle - Emmaus Dental Care - Dr. Daniel J. Keating

Those receiving the most votes on Facebook are as follows:

1. Tangled Tower -- Hamburg Family Dental - Dr. Katherine Rhodes and Dr. Ashley Stuart

2. The Claw -- Quakertown Family Dental Center, Dr. Brian Schoenly, Dr. Majid Dastgir and Dr. Lisa Marie Price

3. Baby Yoda -- Kiesel & Maye Dental Associates, Quakertown - Dr. William A. Kiesel and Dr. Douglas A. Maye

4. Tractor LVE-209 -- Lehigh Valley Endodontics - Dr. Timothy Lin, Dr. Jamie Kang and Dr. Thomas Graham

5. Hedwig and the Sorting Hat - Dr. Julie Hong - Emmaus

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Upper Bucks Dental Arts - Dr. Kelly Halle Brown