Free Calif. dental clinic draws thousands

Apr 10, 2011

OAKLAND - The true extent of the unmet need for dental and medical care in the U.S. was on display this past weekend as thousands of people -- including some who waited hours overnight in damp, 40° weather -- came to a Northern California health clinic to get free dental, medical and eye care.

By the time the four-day clinic opened at 6 a.m. on April 9 at the Oakland Coliseum -- better known for hosting rock concerts, monster truck rallies, and baseball games -- about 800 tickets had been distributed to people eager to get their teeth and eyes checked, prescriptions filled, flu vaccinations, and other medical services.

The RAM mobile unit parked outside the Oakland Coliseum, having completed the journey from Knoxville, TN. Organizers are considering a new branch to serve California.

Nichelle, 22, came to the clinic at 3:30 a.m. on April 9 with her husband and 2-year-old son Joshua to get dental fillings and eye exams. Her husband has a full-time job, but by the time the rent is paid there's not enough left for health insurance, she said.

"My teeth are really bad," explained Nichelle, who declined to give her last name. The last time she saw a dentist was four months ago, she said, and she had to have three teeth extracted then.

Nichelle was one of more than 2,200 patients who, through the first three days of the clinic, received medical care that also included chiropractic and acupuncture treatments. But the bulk of the demand was for dental services; as of April 11, 2,011 oral procedures had been performed, according to event organizers Remote Area Medical (RAM) and the Tzu Chi Foundation.

This was the first RAM clinic held in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to Steve Krantzman, RAM associate host coordinator. RAM organized a similar event April 1-4 in Sacramento -- the first of its kind in Northern California -- where nearly 3,600 people received much-needed medical services.

On April 9, 65 dentists, 65 assistants, and 25 hygienists volunteered for busy 12-hour shifts to treat roughly 800 patients.

Planning issues nearly derailed efforts to bring the clinic to the Bay Area, said Pamela Congdon, executive director of the California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, one of the event sponsors.

“There were times when it wasn’t going to work out in Oakland because of space and because of politics,” she told DrBicuspid.com. “Politicians and some associations assumed failure. It looked dicey, but we persevered.”

At the Oakland clinic, 65 dentists, 21 oral surgeons, 65 dental assistants, and 25 hygienists provided cleanings, restorations, extractions, and x-rays using 89 dental chairs. Many of the volunteers brought toothbrushes and toothpaste to distribute to the dental patients. One hygienist showed up after hearing about the clinic on the radio, said Steven Voon, the clinic coordinator for Tzu Chi Foundation.

No root canals or dentures were available because of the inability to meet demand, explained Voon, who said that when dentures were offered during a similar clinic in Los Angeles last year, the organizers were overwhelmed. He also noted that it takes several days for subsequent dental impressions and fittings, exceeding the four-day clinic's time frame.

Several dentists who had volunteered in Sacramento said they enjoyed the work so much they also volunteered for the Oakland clinic.

"We're taking out a lot of teeth, and there's a lot of restorations and hygiene," said Russell Webb, DDS, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon from Upland, CA, who also teaches at the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry. Dr. Webb, who was overseeing the dental care, has volunteered his services at four RAM clinics in California.

"It's very, very rewarding to meet the kids, and the people are amazing," he told DrBicuspid.com. "Everyone is so appreciative. People are saying, 'Thank you, thank you, doc.' "

“The dentists show up! They close the office, fly in, and get hotels. We really rely on them.”
— Stan Brock, founder, Remote
Area Medical

Many patients are working people who aren't making much money, Dr. Webb noted.

"The toughest are the ones who need to have all their teeth taken out," he said. "And a lot of these cases have potential for root canals, but we just don't have the capability to provide them or dentures. But at least we're getting them out of pain and we're cleaning up potential health problems."

One of the saddest cases, Dr. Webb said, was a woman at the Sacramento clinic who had about 16 teeth extracted. Her family was pooling their resources to buy her some dentures, he said.

But many of the dentists offered to do free follow-up work for patients with particularly difficult problems, Dr. Webb noted.

Michael Long, RDH, president of the San Francisco Dental Hygiene Society, said most of the patients needed root planing and deep cleaning, such as a 29-year-old man from Ethiopia who had never seen a dentist in his life. "He had lots of tartar, there was some bleeding and infection, but his teeth were in pretty good shape," Long told DrBicuspid.com.

Volunteers sterilize and sort hundreds of dental instruments provided by RAM.

One 32-year-old woman who recently lost her job and hadn't had dental care in "a while" drove several hours and waited all night for a cleaning, exam, and x-rays. Imara Goudy came with her husband, Tim, and daughter, Niani, 9, for dental and vision services and said the long drive was worth it.

"I haven't had my teeth cleaned in a long time," she said. "It's the best clinic I've ever been to. My teeth feel great. I was laid off a couple years ago so it's been that long since I've been to a dentist."

She said a hygienist worked on her for an hour, explaining that her cleaning was worth about $800. "These people definitely came through for us," Goudy said.

Thomas Geissler, 27, heard about the clinic on Facebook. He took advantage of the medical, vision, and dental services, noting that it's been five years since he saw a dentist.

Shaina Reid, 24, and her friend Julie Rothi, 23, hygiene students at Chabot College in nearby Hayward, came to help out. "We've been here since 6 a.m. It's been great!" they said.

David Maahs, DDS, and dental assistant Qian "Jenny" Zhuang provide care to Daniel Cruz.

"There's an energy here that comes from people helping other people," Congdon said. "I think what surprised me the most was I really thought that I'd see a lot of homeless and indigent people, here but it's people like you and me. They're down on their luck and embarrassed to be here, but they're so grateful."

RAM founder Stan Brock has twice appeared before Congress to testify about the unmet need for dental care across the U.S., which he called "immense."

"People are preoccupied with dentistry because they can't get it," he told DrBicuspid.com.

One of the problems coordinating an event like this stems from the fact that in many states dentists cannot provide free services outside the state where they are licensed, Brock noted. Many complain that "they can volunteer in Guatemala but not in their own country," he added. (Out-of-state dentists were allowed to help out at last year's Los Angeles clinic only after politicians passed special legislation to allow it.)

But he praised the dental professionals who volunteered so much of their time: "The dentists show up!" he said. "They close the office, fly in, and get hotels. We really rely on them."