According to the Los Angeles Unified School District, some 50,000 children a year report to nurses of complaining of tooth pain, and it is also one of the most common excuses for absenteeism. In addition, the majority of children examined through the USC Centers for Oral Health community outreach programs had never before seen a dentist, and many were found to have advanced tooth decay.
Due to overwhelming needs of the local community, the USC Centers for Oral Health has expanded their community outreach programs to meet the dental needs of thousands of Southern Californians each year, primarily those in elementary school. We also have special clinics that provide access to dental care for the developmentally disabled, physically impaired, medically compromised, and frail elderly whose special needs are often difficult to accommodate in a traditional dental practice.
MOBILE CLINIC
The Mobile Clinic is staffed by USC students and faculty. The program, which visits fourteen sites each year and provides comprehensive care, is an important resource in addressing the oral health needs of children from urban and rural low-income families in California, as well as a valuable educational resource for dental and dental hygiene students.
NEIGHBORHOOD MOBILE CLINIC
The Neighborhood Mobile Clinic provides oral examinations and health education for all second-graders in schools surrounding USC’s University Park and Health Sciences campuses. With this van, the school had also been able to expand the services provided by the Sealant Project by allowing the USC School of Dentistry to take these preventive services to schools that do not have the necessary storage facilities for the portable equipment used in the Sealant Project.
QUEENSCARE/ USC DENTAL MOBILE CLINIC
This collaboration between The USC Centers for Oral Health, QueensCare, the Everychild Foundation and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) brings free comprehensive dental care to school children. USC dental faculty, staff and student volunteers provide care on-site in a trailer purchased and equipped by the Everychild Foundation. QueensCare funds the operation, and LAUSD provides space and handles arrangements for getting children in for care.
SEALANT PROJECT
The Sealant Project provides preventive dental care to second and seventh grade school children in southern California. Services are provided by faculty-student teams and include oral examination, dental cleaning, dental sealants, fluoride treatment and referral for treatment of existing dental diseases. Care Occurs at the school site with portable equipment brought there by the USC School of Dentistry.
USC/URM DENTAL CLINIC
The USC/URM Dental Clinic is a partnership between the USC Centers for Oral Health and the Union Rescue Mission, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve the poor and homeless residents of inner-city Los Angeles. The clinic, which opened in May 2000, is the first comprehensive care dental clinic on Skid Row and the first clinic to care for the oral health needs of homeless children in the are. Services also include distribution of toothbrushes, dentifrice, floss and educational materials to Skid Row organizations that serve the homeless.
DOCTORS OUT TO CARE
This program integrates the School of Dentistry with local schools to enhance oral health understanding and to generate awareness of dentistry as a profession. Students visit elementary school classrooms throughout the duration of their USC School of Dentistry education and engage in assessment activities that measure the program’s impact.
HOLLENBECK HOME
Hollenbeck Home is a nonprofit retirement community located in the Boyle Heights area near downtown Los Angeles. The USC School of Dentistry established the first on-site dental service for Hollenbeck residents in April 2000. A dental chair, portable dental unit and X-ray equipment within the skilled nursing facility allows on-site access to emergency care for residents and educational opportunities for USC dental and dental hygiene students.
HEALTH FAIRS
The School of Dentistry participates in a variety of health fairs in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Volunteers promote oral health with free oral screenings, preventive care instruction and educational materials at these fairs sponsored primarily by USC, schools, local government and social service agencies, faith-based and other organizations. |
