Millions of children are suffering today because they do not receive dental care. In fact, each year, nearly 17 million low-income children in the United States do not see a dentist. Children have even died as a result of infections that could have been prevented if they only had access to a dentist. Sen. Bernie Sanders will introduce legislation later this year to address the nation’s dental crisis. His bill would expand the number of places where people can see dentists.

To read Senator Sanders’ report on dental care, click here.

There are many efforts to improve access to dental care across Vermont and the rest of the country. The Health Center in Plainfield, Vt., and five other community health centers in Vermont are part of an effort to bring dental services to 15 schools. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile provides mobile dental services in many parts of the state including Grand Isle, Orange, and Lamoille counties. In 2012, more than 700 Vermont children without dental homes received services on the van.

In the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care is one of six community health centers in Washington, D.C. With support from the United Health Foundation, the Mary’s Center Dental Cruiser started bringing dental care to four middle schools in Prince George’s County, Md., at the beginning of this school year.

The van recently stopped at the G. James Gholson Middle School in Kent, Md., where about 20 students received dental care in the mobile van during their school day. The Dental Cruiser travels to places in the District of Columbia and Maryland where there are few dental providers that accept Medicaid and to schools with high levels of absenteeism due to dental and medical problems and low levels of oral health literacy.

The Dental Cruiser is a wheelchair accessible, mobile dental clinic with state-of-the-art equipment including a television on the outside for showing oral health education programs and flat-screen television monitors inside too. The van requires $10 of diesel fuel per hour just to function when parked, and because the school day has shorter hours than most dental offices and the appointment schedule is affected by standardized tests and other school activities, the number of patients seen each day is more limited than in a traditional dental setting, like in the Mary’s Center’s fixed dental clinic located on Georgia Ave. in Washington’s Petworth neighborhood.

According to Dr. Richard Gesker, Mary’s Center’s chief dental officer, the high cost of the mobile van and the shorter school day can be inefficient and requires more coordination than a traditional dental practice in a fixed location. Yet, Dr. Gesker brings his experience from the military and in private practice to the mobile dental van to help it run as smoothly as possible. The Dental Cruiser offers outreach, education, and connections with a dental provider, in addition to ready access to high quality and affordable dental care for the students, staff and families at the school, regardless of insurance status. “We improve the quality of life for our patients and keep people out of emergency rooms,” Dr. Gesker said. “Does this model work? Yes. Do we improve the quality of life for our citizens? Yes!”