Mobile dental unit returns to Sisters

The Central Oregon Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Unit returned to Sisters last Thursday, October 11, for a one-day clinic.

Sisters Family Access Network (FAN), through a donation from Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, sponsored the clinic. The services of the mobile dental unit are available to uninsured, low income adults who reside in the Sisters area.

"Even though FAN and the Church of the Transfiguration do sponsor, it no way pays for the cost of the van coming over here and all the equipment. ... They help with expenses, but basically Medical Teams International are the ones actually sponsoring this," said Sisters resident Celia Grayson, who coordinates the program in Sisters and who was one of Thursday's four-person dental team.

On Thursday, 14 patients were seen.

"We've done an extraction. We also did a filling on a woman who was missing something right in the front, so it was a cosmetic thing for her as well as being that the tooth ached. We also dealt with some sensitivity problems on a person and put on something that stops the sensitivity," said Grayson.

According to Grayson children are not seen through the mobile dental clinic.

"At this clinic we are not seeing children," Grayson said, noting that needy children requiring dental care are seen at the Kemple Children's Clinic in Bend through a program FAN organizes.

Grayson is hoping to initiate a program to help children between the ages of three and five.

"I just had a call the other day from someone from Head Start who's looking to start to do something with us so we can get three- and five-year-olds in. The Kemple clinic will do school age children, but there isn't anything for the little guys," she said. "We're going to try to put together a clinic in Prineville, Redmond and there are a few Head Start kids here in Sisters."

Grayson plans to offer another one-day mobile dental clinic in Sisters in December with two more in April and the summer of 2008. To qualify for the services of the mobile dental unit several criterion are required.

"They have to be adults, uninsured and meet income requirements. There's a federal guideline for income. If they meet all of those requirements, they are invited to come as patients," Grayson said.

Grayson told The Nugget that she maintains a list of area residents who qualify and are in need of services and pre-registration is necessary.

"We had one walk-in today, and we just couldn't take him, because we have a full schedule," she said.

Grayson and Darlene Miller assisted retired Redmond dentist Spencer Krueger on Thursday. All three served as volunteers. Debbie Stumbaugh of Tumalo, who works for Medical Teams International as the Central Oregon Mobile Dental Van Manager, also assisted.

For information about the program or to apply to be seen contact Grayson at 549-1008.