News

El Pasoans receive free dental care services through generous contributions

April 23, 2018

On April 13 and 14, the El Paso District Dental Society partnered with the Texas Dental Association’s Smiles Foundation, Paso del Norte Charitable Foundation and dedicated volunteers to bring the largest, two-day dental clinic to El Paso. The Texas Mission of Mercy (TMOM) is a mobile dental clinic that travels around the state providing free basic dental care to Texans with limited resources and/or access to care. The two-day event provided more than 830 patients with dental services; from tooth extractions, root canals, fillings, restorations of anterior and posterior teeth and removable prosthesis. These dental services totaled more than $610,700 (an average of $734.04 per patient). “The event was a huge success,” said Dr. Silvia Menendez an orthodontist who serves as the Chair for the El Paso District Dental Society. “We were able to raise the funds needed from our dental community, generous individuals and through family foundations.” More than 300 El Pasoans and a few others from parts of Texas, volunteered their time both days. “We had a variety of volunteers, from dentists, dental hygienist and dental assistants to the general community volunteers who helped in areas such as hospitality, registration, translation, security, patient runners, and childcare,” said Rosa Sanchez, Volunteer Community Chair.

The El Paso District Dental Society (EPDDS) consists of professionals in the dental health field and are dedicated to addressing the need for improved dental health and dental care for uninsured and underinsured citizens living in the greater El Paso and far West Texas area. The EPDDS recently established a fund with the Paso del Norte Charitable Foundation, which is the sister foundation of the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. This partnership supports the Dental Association with fundraising and administration to ensure the success of the event. The future goal of the EPDDS Fund is to bring the TMOM mobile dental clinic to El Paso more often, and provide scholarships to local students who enroll at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine.

For more information on the El Paso District Dental Society Fund, visit pasodelnortefoundation.org.