A free mobile dental clinic launched on Monday, April 11, was expected to provide as many as 100 homeless and at-risk veterans with comprehensive dental care this week.
The clinic kicked off Monday on Veterans Avenue in Westwood.
A team of about 40 dental students from the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC were scheduled to provide the care, to be overseen by dental faculty.
“This dental care is life saving and I am so very thankful,” said former Marine Alan Burch, 63. “In the Marine Corps your feet could hurt or your back could hurt and you would get through it, but if your teeth hurt you, you couldn’t do much.”
As Burch was finishing up his third appointment since last Tuesday, he told USC dental student Vage Markaryan: “My mouth feels so much better. If you can make it here you’re going to make it anywhere.”
“This is real-world dentistry, I’m really enjoying the experience,” said Markaryan, a senior in the program.
USC’s Herman Ostrow School runs 28 community programs, providing free or low-cost treatment and dental education to seniors, people experiencing homelessness, veterans, children and special-needs patients.
The USC Mobile Dental Clinic has been providing free dental treatment to the underserved from Bakersfield to the Mexican border for more than 50 years.
“Today we provide comprehensive dental care, from simple oral hygiene instructions to permanent teeth root canals,” said Dr. Sunny Fereshteh, Dental Director of the mobile clinic on Monday. “Our goal is to get patients cavity-free, infection-free and pain-free. Today we have fully equipped trailers and RV’s that we resupply and maintain.”
The students, Fereshteh said, are all seniors doing their rotations as part of their advancement toward medical careers. “Working with the mobile clinic is just one of many rotations required,” Fereshteh added.
The program was initiated by Dr. Charlie Goldstein, Fereshteh said, who organized students to prove comprehensive care for the children of migrant farm workers in Central and Southern California.
Funding and logistics were provided by Village for Vets, which also identified the veterans who are ineligible for VA dental care to be helped by the program. The agency fills critical gaps in key services for homeless and at-risk veterans in greater L.A. Services include providing meals, emergency grants, support for basic needs, social support, and links to additional services.