Through supporting both local volunteer programs and promoting special mission events outside of our Dallas community, DCDS Foundation provides volunteer opportunities that have a wide appeal. In our efforts to enhance oral health in our community, each year DCDS Foundation reaches out to area dentists, hygienists and dental assistants to fulfill these requests.
You can enhance oral health in our community by:
- Teaching good oral health habits at an elementary school or health fair.
- Taking on one or two patients per year by participating in the Hopeful Smiles provider program.
- Inspiring the next dentist by sharing career information with middle and high school students at a career day.
- Supporting community outreach programs like TDA’s Texas Mission of Mercy and ADA’s Give Kids a Smile.
We need your expertise and your time!
Please contact [email protected] or call 972-386-5741 to sign-up.
Our Efforts Celebrated!
2021 – Give Kids a Smile Dallas: 16 dentists, 2 hygienists and 13 dental students went virtual due to Covid-19, delivering oral healthcare instruction via Zoom and video in under-represented areas of Dallas. 760 elemetary school students withing in-school and after-school programs instruction and oral hygiene kits.
2020 – Give Kids a Smile Dallas: Over 150 dental volunteers (including 50 dentists) joined efforts throughout Dallas as 1100 after-school program students were invited to receive oral exams and oral hygiene kits at 23 DISD locations.
2018 – Texas Mission of Mercy for Veteran’s: Coordinated with TDA Smiles Foundation at the Farmers Branch Recreation Center in North Dallas. A 40-chair dental clinic was set up and served 261 veterans/family members. Approximately 574 volunteers (including 81 dentists) came together to provide services for a total dollar amount of $622,887 averaging $1,110 per patient. A record number of prosthetics were delivered (102).
2017 – DCDSF established a scholarship program designed to assist students who have been accepted into the Public Health Residency program at Texas A&M College of Dentistry, and who express an interest in Public Health. DCDSF also provided 3,000 free dental hygiene kits to victims of Hurricane Harvey.
2016 – Texas Mission of Mercy for Veteran’s: Coordinated with TDA Smiles Foundation at the Cummings Recreation Center in Dallas. A 40-chair dental clinic was set up and served 462 veterans. Approximately 575 volunteers (including 118 dentists) came together to provide services for a total dollar amount of $481,925.00 averaging $1,043.13 per patient. A record number of prosthetics were delivered (99).
2015 – Texas Mission of Mercy Dallas: Coordinated with TDA Smiles Foundation at Eastfield College in Mesquite. A 45-chair dental clinic was set up and served 905 patients. Approximately 1,000 volunteers (including 117 dentists) came together to provide dental services for a total dollar amount of $607,923.00. A record number of prosthetics were delivered (84).
2011 – Texas Mission of Mercy Dallas: Coordinated with TDA Smiles Foundation at the Potter’s House. A 49-chair dental clinic was set up to serve 1,047 patients of low income families. Over 100 dentists from the Dallas area, and over 600 volunteers came together to provide dental services for a total dollar amount of $587,788.00.
2010 – Give Kids A Smile Dallas was a two-day event at the Pediatric Dental Suite located at Martin Luther King Jr. Family Clinic. DCDS dentists provided $30,036.00 in pro bono dental care for 117 children from ChildCare Group.
2009 – Making Dallas Smile Mobile Dental Van was donated to Dallas County Hospital District (Parkland) in December. DCDS Foundation agreed to donate $40,000.00 per calendar year for two years to support the annual operating budget for the mobile van. However, in 2011 after a fire from an electrical short the van was deemed a total loss.
2007 – Making Dallas Smile Mobile Dental Van was made possible by a gift from Mrs. Annette Simmons. The Making Dallas Smile Mobile Dental Van serves as the Dallas County Dental Society community outreach program and makes the Dental society one of the few local dental societies to run an outreach program of this type.
2007 – Texas Mission of Mercy Dallas – Coordinated with TDA Smiles Foundation at Mountain View College to provide pro bono dental care to 951 patients for a total dollar amount of $294,816.00
2005 – Texas Mission of Mercy, Dallas – Coordinated with TDA’s Texas Dentist’s for Healthy Smiles at the Science Place to provide pro bono treatment to 669 patients for a total dollar amount of $237,393.00. There were more than 260 dentists, hygienists, students and other volunteers participating.
2005 – Give Kids A Smile – On Friday, February 4th 33 dentists saw approximately 300 elementary school children in their offices for a total of $74,588.00 in pro bono dental care.
2004 – Texas Mission of Mercy, Dallas – Over 100 dentists, primarily from DCDS, saw 534 patients for a total of $171,200.00 in pro bono dental care at The Science Place.
2004 – Provided a $3,000.00 grant to The Science Place for the traveling dental exhibit, Branches, Bristles and Batteries, from the Samuel L. Harris Foundation (grant funded in 2002; exhibit will appear in 2004).
2003 – Give Kids a Smile event conducted in Dallas with pro bono treatment provided by students and faculty at Baylor College of Dentistry at the Kiwanis clinic and several Dental Health Programs clinics.
2002 – Texas Mission of Mercy, Tyler – Coordinated a contingency of dentists and dental students to travel to Tyler and provide pro bono treatment (approx. 20 dentists and 40 students participated).
2001 – Coordinated the Oral Health Care Education Program whereby over 7,500 children were reached with education and supplies in Dallas and surrounding school districts; service provided by volunteer dentists and dental office staff.
Fall 1999-Spring 2003 – Coordinated and implemented the Dallas County Sealant Initiative with Baylor College of Dentistry and Communities in Schools. The Foundation managed the volunteer dentist aspect of the program, locating dentists to travel to the DISD schools to supervise dental students in the application of sealants on molars of second grade school children.
Spring 1999 – Obtained a $50,000.00 grant from Baylor Oral Health Foundation for Dental Health for a Lifetime whereby a dentist was contracted to provide oral health education to 6,190 school children at 16 DISD schools; In addition, 5,000 goody bags were distributed in February 1999 at The Science Place and oral health education was given to 300 children at The Science Place on February 8, 1999.
May 1999-April 2000 – The Foundation funded (via a pass through grant from the Dallas County Dental Society) a $30,000.00 grant from Dental Health Programs, Inc. to provide an oral health educator at area schools.
