DENTAL HYGIENIST PROVIDES FREE DENTAL CARE TO SENIORS

Justin Urbano, RDHAP, a dental hygienist at the Free Clinic of Simi Valley in Simi Valley, California, spends 16 hours per week providing free oral cancer screenings and preventive dental care to older adults who are homebound or living in care facilities. A 2010 graduate of the Ostrow School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Urbano holds an alternative practice license that enables him to provide care outside of the traditional dental setting. The California Wellness Foundation provided a $225,000 grant to support the provision of oral health care services to adults of low socioeconomic status and adults age 60 and older in southeast Ventura County and surrounding areas. While the funding covers Urbano’s mileage costs, he volunteers his time on Mondays and weekends to reach these underserved populations.

From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. August 2017;15(8):10.