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Formerly Dental Health Programs, Community Dental Care has provided quality dental care and education to low-income families for more than four decades. In keeping with its mission, the organization works with local school districts and county health agencies to provide these dental services, and has strategically located its Community Dental Centers to serve the needs of:
“Our mission is to help improve the health of those in need in our community, and a majority of our referrals come from schools, said Paul Hoffmann, Executive Director of Community Dental Care. “Tooth decay is a silent epidemic that is dramatically rising, causing poor overall health, with the result that children and adults miss school or work. This is an epidemic that can be stopped, and we want North Texans to know we're here to help.” The American Dental Association established National Children's Dental Health Month in 1981, to focus attention on the importance of treating children and teaching them good dental health practices at an early age. According to a report by the U.S. Surgeon General, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. This same report discloses that 51 million school hours and 164 million work hours are lost each year due to dental-related illness. In the City of Dallas alone, more than 300,000 children and adults do not have access to dental treatment. In partnership with 84 local and regional organizations, Community Dental Care provides preventative care and treatment to children and adults through its eleven dental clinics located throughout the community. Last year, Community Dental Care provided over 46,000 dental treatments to approximately 16,000 patients - 68 percent of those children. Community Dental Care (then Dental Health Programs, Inc.) began as a program of the City of Dallas in 1963, with the mission to provide quality preventative and routine dental care and dental health education to low-income children and adults, senior citizens, patients with HIV/AIDS and the homeless. In 1982, Community Dental Care was chartered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since that time, the population of Community Dental Care's service area has increased by more than one million people. The organization now operates 11 Community Dental Centers in Dallas, Carrollton/Farmers Branch, Garland, Irving, McKinney and Plano, and is the largest nonprofit provider of quality, routine and preventative dental care and dental health education to low-income individuals in Texas.
For more than four decades, Community Dental Care has provided quality dental care and education in a respectful environment to low-income families. Formerly Dental Health Programs, we began as a program of the City of Dallas in 1963, with the mission to provide quality preventative and routine dental care and dental health education to low-income children and adults. In 1982, Community Dental Care was established as a nonprofit organization. Since then, the population of our service area has increased by more than one million people, and we now operate eleven Community Dental Center clinics in Dallas, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Garland, Irving, McKinney and Plano.
Community Dental Care has partnerships with Parkland and Baylor College of Dentistry, and five of our six Dallas County clinics are conveniently co-located with Parkland Community-Oriented Primary Health Centers – providing one-stop access to general medical and dental services. In 1997, Community Dental Care and Baylor’s College of Dentistry entered into a program to incorporate third- and fourth-year undergraduate students into the Community Dental Care staff. In 1998, graduate pediatric residents were added to help provide a more advanced level of care. In 2005, orthodontic residents were added to offer orthodontic services to our children. In 2007, community dentistry students and residents were added. Our strong, growing network of community-based partnerships has allowed us to become the largest and most respected nonprofit provider of quality routine dental care and education to low-income individuals in Texas. Community Dental Care has been a United Way agency since 1992.
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Each of our 11 Community Dental Centers offer treatment services that range from amalgam and composite fillings and extractions to limited oral surgery, with dentures and partials available at some locations. Our preventive dental health services include cleanings, sealants, fluoride treatments, diagnostic x-rays, oral hygiene instruction and nutritional counseling. Specialty care procedures, such as endodontics, periodontics and oral surgery, are referred to Baylor College of Dentistry and Parkland Oral Surgery. Our paid, professional staff of 70, includes dentists, dental assistants and hygienists who provide dental care and dental health education to children (infants to age 18), adults and senior citizens (60 and over). Our patients also include the homeless – served by The Stewpot in Dallas, and HIV/AIDS patients in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall counties who are referred by Parkland Health and Hospital System and other HIV service providers. In addition, Community Dental Care provides dental care to low-income expectant mothers, and those with physical or mental disorders, as resources allow. [TOP] |
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Treatment is only part of Community Dental Care’s ongoing efforts to improve dental health among our patients. Each one of our Community Dental Centers offer nutritional counseling and oral hygiene instruction to the parents of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. In addition, we participate in Dallas County health fairs and present programs on topics such as brushing and flossing, good nutrition and how to overcome the fear of visiting the dentist. [TOP] |
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