Free Dental Care for Children and Seniors, January-February 2009
January 13th, 2009
Dental van provides free care to seniors
NATICK - The Massachusetts Dental Association brought free dental care to seniors at Natick’s Kennedy Senior Center, Friday, the first stop in a new program run by the association that will also serve seniors in Marlborough and Waltham.
Two dentists did the exams and other work in the Mobile Access to Care van, which has two full examination rooms, said Ellen Factor, project manager for the Mass. Dental Association. .
The van has been used to treat more than 2,500 children since 2007 in a program for school-age kids, but this is the first time it will serve the elderly, Factor said.
“I think it’s another underserved group that has dental issues that need to be addressed,” Factor said. The free work can be provided thanks to a $15,000 grant provided by Boston Scientific, Factor said.
More: http://www.wickedlocal.com/natick/news/…
Too many kids don’t get proper dental care
School nurses aren’t dentists, but some of the children they serve have cavities big enough for them to identify without X-rays.
“During annual third-grade screenings, school nurses report finding many cavities just with a flashlight,” said Transitions coordinator John Fishburn in a paper he wrote for a graduate program at Case Western Reserve University.
Fishburn called lack of dental care “the biggest health need for our children,” echoing an Ohio Department of Health report, “At-a-Glance: Oral Health and Access to Dental Care for Ohioans, 2007,” which targeted it as “the No. 1 unmet health care need for children.”
The same report documented about 1.2 million Ohioans, or 11 percent, without health insurance, but 4.25 million, or 38 percent, without dental coverage.
Fishburn recently pulled together a group to talk about the local problem.
More: http://www.the-daily-record.com/news/…
Douglas County Dental Clinic plans free day for children
The Douglas County Dental Clinic will provide free dental examinations and X-rays for children under age 18 for “Give Kids A Smile Day” on Feb. 6.
In order to qualify for the services, the child must live in Douglas County, the household income must be at 200 percent of the federal poverty level or below, and the child cannot have dental insurance, including Healthwave or other state insurance.
Appointments for these free examinations will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, and appointments must be set by Jan. 30. A parent or guardian must accompany patients in order for the clinic to offer its services.
More: http://www2.ljworld.com/news/…
Mission of Mercy dental project Feb. 20-21
The Kansas Dental Charitable Foundation will sponsor the 2009 Kansas Mission of Mercy project Feb. 20 and 21 at the National Guard Armory just east of Manhattan on US-24 highway.
The project is an oral health initiative where volunteer dentists, hygienists, assistants and volunteers provide free dental care to the public.
The Kansas Mission of Mercy project has treated 15,000 patients since its inception in 2003. It treats approximately 2,000 patients and provides $1 million in free dental care at each KMOM project.
More: http://cjonline.com/stories/…
Categories: Dental News
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