CDA Cares free dental clinic set for May 2012

CDA Cares, a new event aimed at providing free dental care to Californians in need, will be held May 18-19, 2012 in the Modesto Centre Plaza at 1000 L Street in Modesto, CA.

The event is a collaborative effort between the California Dental Association (CDA), the CDA Foundation, and the national charitable organization Mission of Mercy.

At the CDA Cares event, dental professionals will provide patients with free services such as cleanings, fillings, extractions, prosthetics, oral health education, and assistance in finding a dental home. The event is expected to provide services for up to 1,000 patients per day.

The CDA Foundation, with the help of volunteer dental professionals and hundreds of lay volunteers, will produce the event and rely on Mission of Mercy's national structure for expertise, equipment, and data collection. All the necessary equipment -- such as chairs, lights, vacuum systems, sterilization stations, and setup -- are provided by Mission of Mercy; and supplies are provided, often at little or no cost, by national dental manufacturers.

CDA will soon begin recruiting volunteer dentists and specialists, including oral surgeons, dental hygienists, assistants, students, lab technicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others, who are willing to donate their time and services for the event. It is estimated that close to 100 dentists each day will be needed.

If patients need extractions, there will be a dental lab set up to provide patients with limited prostheses whenever possible.