title: Comprehensive dental services for an underserved and medically compromised population provided through a community partnership and service learning.
abstract: The University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco established a comprehensive dental care program at Laguna Honda Hospital, a public, skilled nursing facility. The program had three goals: (1) to provide dental students and residents an opportunity to provide oral health care for adults who were frail and medically compromised who could not come into the clinics, (2) to increase students' access to patients who needed removable prosthodontics, and (3) to fulfill Pacific's commitment to public service. Laguna Honda and Pacific pooled their resources to bring comprehensive dental care to patients who were not able to access the dental school clinics. The long-term goals are to restore and maintain the oral health of those who reside in the facility, and to educate future dentists to provide oral health care for similar populations.
authors.affiliation: Removable Prosthodontics, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California, USA. echavez@pacific.edu
authors.forename: Elisa M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Chávez
authors.forename: Eugene
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: LaBarre
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fredekind
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Isakson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D003190:Comprehensive Dental Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D004497:Education, Dental; D005260:Female; D005378:Financial Support; D005792:General Practice, Dental / Q000193:education; D006295:Health Resources; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D008875:Middle Aged; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011476:Prosthodontics / Q000193:education; D012495:San Francisco; D012575:Schools, Dental / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000193:education