Whether it’s a filling, a tooth cleaning, or giving just advice, since 1982 a team of volunteers has held an event to provide dental help to kids in Stockton who need it most – and free of charge.
Local dentist John Reed, a member of the San Joaquin Dental Society, is among those volunteers who have participated in the annual “Give Kids A Smile” event for many years.
For Reed, it’s a chance to address an important need with other caring local dental professionals. “When kids need multiple fillings, it can really add up and sometimes parents just don’t have $300 or $400 of discretionary funds, so they come here,” Reed said.
The dental society hosted this year’s Give Kids A Smile event at St. Raphael’s Dental Clinic in Stockton. The program was created by the American Dental Association to serve youth ages 1 to 17.
Contrary to popular belief, a good amount of parents seeking free dental care for their children at the event in Stockton are insured, Reed said.
It’s the high insurance co-pays and packed schedules that lead parents to reach for the community resources.
About 150 volunteers including dentists, dental assistants, hygienists and students from around the county gathered at St. Mary’s Community Services downtown to provide pro-bono dental services ranging from basic cleanings to referrals for root canals worth over $51,000.
The no-questions asked process aimed to bring in 75 children.
Volunteers were ready to jump in as needed to work as translators in Spanish, Hindi and other Indian languages, Vietnamese and more, Reed said. When possible, patients were assigned to dentists who speak their native language.
Reed said in the past they have never had an issue finding an interpreter considering the wide variety of volunteers, especially among the students.
University of the Pacific’s School of Dentistry partners with the San Joaquin Dental Society to give 75 of the 110 applicants an opportunity to work with patients and observe the local professionals.
With more volunteers than patients this year and even less space, coordinator and director of St. Raphael’s Dental Clinic, Dr. Lester Low told students during orientation to focus on getting to know people, entertaining the children with activities like face painting, and keeping the tools sanitized.
Dentist Dr. Bruce Toy, the founder of St. Raphael’s, said since the SJDS began hosting the annual event in the late 1980s, it has significantly improved through stable funding and leadership and coordination.
St. Raphael’s normally holds five dental chairs, but six more were brought in for hygienists to use during the event, Low said in an email.
Parents and their children were given educational booklets, goodie bags, and a wide variety of entertainment in the waiting area. Tables were sponsored by local groups like the Salida Surgery Center, San Joaquin Teeth and more.
Convenient alternative to regular care
Reed and other dentists working on Saturday said many patients with insurance take advantage of their free event because it fits their budget and schedules better than regular providers can.
A 44-year-old mother named Graciela and her 8-year-old son traveled from Ripon to attend the event promptly at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.
It has been difficult to get an appointment with her son’s regular dentist, so she opted to attend the event. Graciela believed the child-centered approach would be ideal for her son, who is autistic, since the entertainment would likely ease his dental anxiety.
The day was hectic as promised, with so many volunteers, patients, parents and unhoused Stocktonians visiting the St. Mary’s campus. However, this year coordinators expected to serve less people than they had in recent years.
Last year 85 patients were seen, Dr. Rommel Bal said. Years before, when the event was held at UOP before the clinic closed and the school moved its services to its Bay Area campus, Bal said they would see up to 200 patients at GKAS events.
“I think one of the reasons people don’t need the services as much … is because Medi-Cal provides dental care, so it’s not as busy as it used to be,” said Karrie Belanger, a veteran dental receptionist from Lodi Pediatric Dentistry, “
Improvements in the way SJDS has promoted and executed the annual event have been made through its committed membership and increased fundraising efforts, Toy said. However, he imagines a future where events like these are not necessary.
Unfortunately, there is still a large need for local dentists to volunteer their free time to serve the community. According to the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment, San Joaquin County only has 58 dentists per 100,000 residents, 34% fewer than the state average.
“I hope someday we don’t have to do this,” said Toy. “I would hope the community will become even more united to provide for all the underserved, uninsured and homeless. I’m hopeful there can be change.”
Vivienne Aguilar is the health equity reporter for the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative, a nonprofit newsroom based in Merced, in collaboration with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF).
