CHILDRENS DENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

The mission of Children's Dental Health Services (CDHS) is to promote the prevention of dental disease through provision of dental hygiene services and by educating parents and children of the importance of good daily oral hygiene, regular preventive care and proper nutrition. Through our portable clinic model, CDHS seeks to reduce dental access barriers for children who live in poverty throughout Southeast Minnesota. By providing services to children ages 14 and under in Schools, Head Start sites, Public Health and other locations, we eliminate the economic and logistical barriers to receiving dental care faced by low-income families. Providing benefits that will last a lifetime, the importance of receiving preventative dental care and education at a young age cannot be overstated. Effective brushing and flossing instruction will help to establish a child's good oral health habits at home and reduce long-term health care costs by preventing more serious dental disease later in life. The mission of the community clinic is to ensure equal access to consistent dental care for low income and minority residents who have limited or no access to dental care. This project will be an expansion of the well-established Mower County work of CDHS. Opening this non-profit dental clinic in Austin is ideal with our mission of removing economic and logistic access barriers for this underserved population.