New mobile dentist to serve children in rural Nevada

Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 | 4:52 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

January 15 - 16, 2005

A Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program has been launched from Las Vegas to rural Nevada counties, offering dental care to far-flung communities and remote schools where thousands of children have never seen a dentist.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas and its partner, Nevada Health Center's Miles for Smiles, equipped the mobile dental clinic and sent it on its way on Jan. 7.

The program will serve Elko, White Pine, Humboldt, Eureka and Lander counties. The mobile clinic can make scheduled visits to schools, churches and community centers, said Jo Ann Malone, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities in Las Vegas.

Visits are arranged through Miles for Smiles, which screens poor children from local schools.

"For many of these children, it will be the first time they have ever been to a dentist," Malone said. "It's a dream come true for us to have a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program to serve the rural areas of Nevada."

Studies have indicated that Nevada ranks 49th in the nation in available dental care. The state also experiences the highest rates of tooth decay in the nation.

Children who don't receive preventive and primary care are at a greater risk for serious and long-term health problems, dental experts said. Pain from dental disease interferes with a child's ability to eat, affects nutrition, sleep patterns and the ability to play or participate in sports and social events.

"These children have hearing problems and they are sick all the time because their teeth are rotting out of their heads," Malone said.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program, with its seven employees, directly addresses those issues, Malone said.

Malone said she saw her first mobile dental clinic in Chicago in 2000.

"I always hoped we could get one to serve Nevada," she said. "And now we do.

"We saw the need and we know how bad accessibility is to provide care to needy children."

The $450,000 vehicle was designed and built specifically to provide dental care. It houses two dental hygiene and treatment rooms, a lab with X-ray capabilities and areas for record keeping and receiving patients.

A variety of services will be offered by the mobile dental clinic, including restorative and preventive dental care, teeth cleaning and healthy lifestyle education, referrals for further work, follow-up treatment and help for eligible families who need government-assisted dental insurance.

When a child visits the clinic, a hygienist hands them a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste before they leave. "Some children have never seen a toothbrush in their lives," Malone said.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile will have a full staff of dentists, dental hygienists and support staff.

Nevada Health Center's Miles for Smiles will oversee the scheduling, staffing and maintenance of the vehicle. Annual maintenance could cost $180,000 and Ronald McDonald Care will provide $25,000 a year toward operating and maintenance expenses.

While the Miles for Smiles program operates its own mobile dental units in Las Vegas, the rural mobile clinic will return to Las Vegas about four times a year for maintenance, said Sarah Crichlow of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

While the vehicle is being repaired, the dentists will schedule appointments with Las Vegas children who need better tooth care and meet economic requirements, Crichlow said.

The Ronald McDonald Chapter has operated in Las Vegas for six years.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program operates 26 such mobile clinics worldwide, Malone said. The program was established in 2000 with a goal to improve the health and provide continuous care for under-served children around the world.

To date, there are 18 Ronald McDonald Care Mobile programs in service in the United States, one in Argentina and a new program expected to be launched this year in New Zealand.

Each program offers medical, dental or a combination of health services tailored to meet the specific needs of the local community.