HAVE A HUGE IMPACT TO SOME, THIS MIGHT JUST LOOK LIKE A TRUCK IN THE OUTSIDE, BUT FOR THOUSANDS OF OKLAHOMANS WHO WALK UP THESE STAIRS, THEY’LL HAVE ACCESS TO DENTAL CARE, SOME FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. EXAMS, X-RAYS, CLEANINGS AND OTHER HYGIENE INSTRUCTION. FILLINGS, EXTRACTIONS, FLUORIDE VARNISHES AND SEALANTS. WE EVEN WORK ON TOBACCO CESSATION. THIS IS WHAT THE INSIDE OF THE MOBILE DENTAL CLINIC LOOKS LIKE. NOW. FIVE OF THESE TRUCKS WILL HIT THE HIGHWAYS AND SERVE OKLAHOMANS IN EVERY CORNER, ONE IN EACH QUADRANT OF THE STATE AND THIS ONE ARE URBAN. ONE WHICH WILL GO TO SERVE BETWEEN OKLAHOMA CITY AND TULSA. THE OKLAHOMA DENTAL FOUNDATION, WHO UNVEILED THE MOBILE CLINICS, SAY THEY AREN’T CHEAP, BUT WITH $5.1 MILLION IN FEDERAL PANDEMIC RELIEF FUNDS PLUS HELP FROM LEGISLATURE AND DONATIONS, PATIENTS WILL GET CARE FOR FREE IN 2023. OKLAHOMA MOBILE DENTAL CLINICS TRAVELED TO 146 SITES ACROSS THE STATE. 80% OF THOSE 1300 PATIENTS REPORTED THAT THEY HAD AN ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF LESS THAN $20,000 AND MORE THAN $600,000 OF SERVICES WERE PROVIDED TO THOSE WHO COULDN’T AFFORD DENTAL CARE. NOW, WITH THESE NEW MOBILE CLINICS LAUNCHING, WE’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FIVE TIMES THAT AMOUNT AS EACH OF THESE CLINICS ROLLS OFF THE ASSEMBLY LINE OVER THE TH
Mobile dental units allowing care for Oklahomans across the state
Dental care will soon be more accessible to people living in rural Oklahoma, and those who can’t afford it, thanks to a new mobile unit.
Updated: 4:23 PM CDT Jul 11, 2024
Dental care will soon be more accessible to people living in rural Oklahoma, and those who can’t afford it, thanks to a new mobile unit.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.While it might just look like a truck from the outside to some, thousands of Oklahomans who walk up the vehicle’s stairs will now have access to dental care, including some who had never had access before.“Exams, x-rays, cleanings and other hygiene instruction. Fillings, extractions, fluoride varnishes and sealings, we even work on tobacco cessation,” said John Wilguess, executive director of the Oklahoma Dental Foundation.The foundation has five trucks that will hit the highways and serve Oklahomans in every corner of the state.“One in each quadrant in the state, and this one, our urban one that will go to serve between Oklahoma City and Tulsa,” Wilguess said.>> Download the KOCO 5 AppThe foundation said the mobile clinics aren’t cheap, but with $5.1 million in Federal Pandemic Relief funds and funds coming from lawmakers and private donations, patients will get care for free.Last year, mobile dental clinics traveled to 146 sites across the state.“80 percent of those 1300 patients reported they had an annual household income of less than 20,000 dollars,” Wilguess said.More than $600,000 of services were provided to those who couldn’t afford dental care. With the new mobile clinics, more patients can be reached.“We are going to be able to provide five times that amount as each of these clinics rolls off the assembly line over the rest of this year,” Wilguess said.Top HeadlinesTeen brothers dead after suspected drowning at popular swimming area16-year-old arrested, victim identified after deadly shooting at OKC motelAt least 1 person injured after head-on crash in Edmond, officials sayAir fryers seeing markdowns ahead of Amazon Prime DayPopular liquor store chain fighting ABLE to open up shop in Oklahoma
Dental care will soon be more accessible to people living in rural Oklahoma, and those who can’t afford it, thanks to a new mobile unit.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
While it might just look like a truck from the outside to some, thousands of Oklahomans who walk up the vehicle’s stairs will now have access to dental care, including some who had never had access before.
“Exams, x-rays, cleanings and other hygiene instruction. Fillings, extractions, fluoride varnishes and sealings, we even work on tobacco cessation,” said John Wilguess, executive director of the Oklahoma Dental Foundation.
The foundation has five trucks that will hit the highways and serve Oklahomans in every corner of the state.
“One in each quadrant in the state, and this one, our urban one that will go to serve between Oklahoma City and Tulsa,” Wilguess said.
The foundation said the mobile clinics aren’t cheap, but with $5.1 million in Federal Pandemic Relief funds and funds coming from lawmakers and private donations, patients will get care for free.
Last year, mobile dental clinics traveled to 146 sites across the state.
“80 percent of those 1300 patients reported they had an annual household income of less than 20,000 dollars,” Wilguess said.
More than $600,000 of services were provided to those who couldn’t afford dental care. With the new mobile clinics, more patients can be reached.
“We are going to be able to provide five times that amount as each of these clinics rolls off the assembly line over the rest of this year,” Wilguess said.
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