More than 1,500 volunteers will be in Madison, WI, June 29-30 to provide $1.75 million in free dental care to some 3,000 children and adults during the fourth Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) and WDA Foundation Mission of Mercy.
The event will be the largest charitable dental clinic ever staged in the U.S., according to the WDA.
Cleanings, fillings, extractions, partial dentures, and basic oral health and dietary instruction will be provided by volunteer dentists, dental hygienists and assistants, Marquette University School of Dentistry students, and community helpers. Volunteer Spanish and Hmong translators also will be available.
For the second year, 50 Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes will be among WDA Mission of Mercy patients.
Major financial and in-kind support is provided by Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Henry Schein Dental, Meriter, Patterson Dental, Tellier Foundation, Alliant Energy Center, Epic, Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau, UW Health, and the Dane County Dental Society.
More than 70 organizations and individuals will make tax-deductible financial and in-kind donations to help cover $250,000 in costs for dental equipment and facility rental, supplies, pharmaceuticals, and food for the event. For every dollar received, WDA dentists and other Mission of Mercy volunteers donate $6 to $8 in care.
More than 5,600 people have received $2.8 million in free care at WDA Mission of Mercy events since 2009.
