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Elementary school students in Oregon will have a unique opportunity next week.
The students at Seaside Heights Elementary School will receive a visit from the “tooth taxi” from March 29 through April 1. The children will have dental screenings and receive treatment for any dental issues they have.
The “tooth taxi” is a mobile dental unit based in Oregon that provides dental services for children throughout the state. It includes two operatory units and a waiting room.
The mobile dental unit also has a full-time dentist and staff and may be at certain schools for as many as four days.
The program is run by the Dental Foundation of Oregon and works with the Oregon Education Association Choice Trust and the Oregon Dental Service Companies. The dental van can provide various dental-related procedures, including tooth extractions, fillings, dental examinations, minor oral surgery, and others.
The “tooth taxi” began in the fall of 2008 and has visited more than 100 schools throughout Oregon. More than 8,000 children have been treated thanks to more than $2 million in donated dental services. The goal is to treat more than 3,000 school children each year, and that can be done because of the roughly $1 million in annual donations the program receives.
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