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SANTA BARBARA — The skies cleared on Friday, February 24th for the Free Dental Day at Eastside Family Dental Clinic. The event has been sponsored by Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise since 2012 and has provided hundreds with dental procedures they could not otherwise afford.
Patients receive exams, cleanings and x-rays prior to the event; to ensure the support from Sunrise Rotary will have maximum impact. The Free Dental Day provided 44 patients with 52 fillings, 5 extractions, 7 root canals and other dental treatments. Patients served ranged in age from 4 to 73 years old. All patients left with a happy smile and better oral health.
The need for dental care of low income families is tremendous. In the state of California there is one dentist for 12,000 low income patients vs one dentist per 1000 patients with private insurance or who can pay on their own.
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Among those providing dental care were dental residents in the Advanced Education in General Dentistry Program, which is provided in partnership between Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics and New York University-Lutheran Medical Center. The residency program offers training to evaluate patients’ total oral health needs and provides a full range of general dental care in a diverse and medically-complex population.
The Free Dental Day would not be possible without the support of the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise Charitable Foundation. Rotary is an international leadership organization made up of local business, professional and civic leaders.
“Funding from organizations such as Sunrise Rotary is important to our success,” said Dr. Domenic Caluori, Chief Dental Officer of Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics. “There is always a gap in funding that can only be met through critical support from our community.”
Eastside Family Dental Clinic is a part of Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, whose mission it is to provide high quality, comprehensive, affordable healthcare to all people, regardless of ability to pay, in an environment that fosters respect, compassion and dignity. Over 20,000 patients are seen each year at one of four medical and two dental clinics located throughout Santa Barbara, Goleta and Isla Vista.
For more information about Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, please visit www.sbclinics.org.