Poor oral health is one of the leading causes of irregular school attendance and substandard academic performance in America.
Assistance League has been working to counter this trend since 1941 when the first dental center opened in San Pedro, CA, with an all-volunteer professional staff. Since then, dental centers have sprung up in several California communities and Eugene, OR.
Several other chapters conduct in-school screenings, help fund urgent dental care with participating dentists and hold dental education programs in local schools.
Assistance League of San Pedro-South Bay’s dental center has come a long way since its humble beginnings in the basement of the original chapter house. Thanks to a generous benefactor, the chapter established the Frances J. Johnson Dental Center on the third floor of its new building with three operatories staffed by paid professionals and member volunteers who do clerical work and schedule appointments.
“Our children have lots of smiles now,” said Kay Lupo, a former dental hygienist who joined the San Pedro-South Bay chapter over 20 years ago to volunteer at the center. “Many of them come in with rampant decay and it may take many months of frequent visits to establish good dental health in these patients.”
The center serves youth, ages 2 to 18, of low-income working parents who are charged a very minimum fee per visit and encouraged to be involved in their children’s at-home dental care. There is a separate orthodontic fund that allows patients to receive reduced rates at three local orthodontists.
“I love being a volunteer in our dental center,” Lupo said. “I feel like I am really doing something important for my local community and I still get to participate in a field that I was trained for, but in a different capacity now. I see a level of treatment and patient education in our dental center that equals the best private pedodontic practices.” Lupo added, “None of this care would be possible without the hard work of Assistance League members, the money from fundraising and the monetary donations coming from our generous members and the local community.”
Assistance League of Eugene Children’s Dental Center is housed in a fully equipped modular classroom with two treatment rooms on the grounds of Churchill High. A paid dental assistant works with volunteer dentists and hygienists to serve children with school referrals.
Thanks to a grant from the Dental Foundation of Oregon and the generosity of volunteering professionals, the Children’s Dental Center puts healthy smiles on hundreds of children who may otherwise not receive care for badly decayed teeth. The Eugene chapter donates teddy bears from its Operation Hug a Bear program to the dental center to comfort children receiving treatment and makes sure every child receives a hygiene kit on their first visit.
Assistance League of Huntington Beach conducts dental screenings in the fall. The chapter celebrates National Children’s Dental Health Month in February by reading Dora the Explorer books about going to the dentist, and then demonstrating the proper way to brush for kindergarteners and first graders in more than two dozen schools. Last year, over 2,300 youngsters received “PlakSmacker” kits assembled by special education high school students, who value the opportunity to give back.
“The best feedback we have received is when children tell us that they are so happy to have their own toothbrush,” said Marketing Communications Chairman Diane Dwyer.
Other Assistance League dental centers:
Dental Center, Redlands, CA, 1947
The Dr. Earl R. Crane Children’s Dental Center, San Bernardino, CA, 1949
The Cheri Harris Children’s Health Dental Center, Newport Beach, CA, 1952
Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation Orthodontic Center, Long Beach, CA, 1969
Community Hospital Dental Center, San Antonio, TX
Dental Center, the Foothills Communities, Upland, CA
Dental Center, Pomona Valley, CA, 1987
Dental Center, Santa Ana, CA
Dental Health Center, Garden Grove, CA
Dental Health Center, Orange, CA
Chapters offering complete or partial funding for participating dentists:
Downey, CA
Huntington Beach, CA
Tustin, CA
Whittier, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
Education, In-School Screenings, Hygiene Kits
Downey, CA
Huntington Beach, CA
Santa Barbara, CA
Whittier, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
