Dental Care in the Santa Clarita Valley

* Re “For the Most Vulnerable Poor, Lack of Dental Care Is a Barrier,” Aug. 20.

Thank you for publishing the essay from the UCLA School of Dentistry [professors] on lack of dental care for children. I feel compelled to share with your readers a program developed in Santa Clarita to deal with this issue. This program could easily be replicated in other communities.

The Foundation for Children’s Dental Health provides free dental care, dental education and emergency dental services for the area’s poorest children and their families. This grass-roots program was started by myself and another community member after having a firsthand look at the problems caused by little or no dental care. Some children were in such pain that they could not concentrate in school. We started the foundation seven years ago with some corporate donations, seed money from Los Angeles County and the city of Santa Clarita, plus support from area dentists and hygienists and the school districts.

The foundation has provided free dental care for more than 650 children in the Santa Clarita Valley, and education to more than 20,000 children and their families valleywide. For more information, contact the foundation at (661) 254-7048.

MARY CARAVALHO

President,

Foundation

for Children’s

Dental Health

Santa Clarita