History

The North Carolina Missions of Mercy ( NC MOM) portable free dental program is a branch of the Open Door Dental Clinic of Alamance County, a 501(c)(3) free dental clinic begun in 1998. Its mission is "To provide free dental services to those in financial need with few or no other options". The goals of the program are simple and as follows:

The NC MOM is entirely a grassroots effort, dependent on an all volunteer staff, members of which donate their time and talents tirelessly for various personal reasons and motivations, with funding from grants and donations. The services Since its beginning in 2003 the program has received national and statewide recognition with an article in the American Dental Association newsletter, a national award from USA Today Weekend Magazine, and a prestigious award from the NC Association of Free Clinics.

In 2003, after observing a free dental program of the Virginia Dental Association in which a large amount of portable dental equipment was utilized by volunteers to provide treatment to needy individuals in different areas of that state, it was felt that such a program could be initiated here and be very successful. Using equipment borrowed from Virginia at first, while procuring equipment with grants and donations from generous organizations, the weekend clinics were begun here in NC in early 2004. Currently the NC MOM has enough equipment to set up a 45 chair full dental clinic including digital x-ray, sterilization, and all instrumentation and supplies. For each clinic there are generally set up 20-45 chairs on which services are provided for 300-600 or more needy folks per 2 day event. The volunteers include dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and scores of general volunteers from all areas of the state. Additionally, the program enjoys a good relationship with the UNC School of Dentistry and its ENNEAD student volunteer organization. Dental students comprise 15-30 of the volunteer providers during each clinic and are a major part of the overall program. Since inception the program has held over 60 weekend clinics in numerous counties of North Carolina including: Alamance, Beaufort, Caswell, Chatham, Clay, Jackson, Mitchell, Nash, New Hanover, Surry, Watauga, Wayne, and Yadkin. Although the NC MOM primarily limits its clinics to helping citizens of North Carolina, it did hold a large 65 chair clinic in New Orleans during February, 2006 in partnership with the American Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Association, the Remote Area Medical of Knoxville, the Louisiana State Dental Association, and the LSU School of Dentistry. During this weeklong clinic free dental treatment was provided to over 3600 needy individuals and hurricane victims of that area.

In the spring of 2008 a large Missions of Mercy clinic was sponsored by the North Carolina Dental Society as part of its DAD program. The clinic, held in Rocky Mount consisted of 62 dental stations and volunteers from all over the state. In this clinic, the largest one yet, 970 needy patients were provided with much needed free dental treatment.

Other sizeable clinics have been held in Wilmington, NC the largest being 2008 in which over 600 patients received treatment, and Burlington, NC. statewide, with this number increasing yearly. Over the years the program has continued to gain momentum and grow. In 2008 approximately 5,400 patients received free dental treatment valued at $1.7 million. The total number of patients receiving free care since 2003 is in excess of 17,000 with a dollar value of $5 million.

As the program is all volunteer, there are no personnel expenses. As the clinics are held in areas provided by the hosting organizations, there are no facility expenses. As the majority of the supplies are obtained free of charge from dental supply dealers, there are minimal supply expenses. Therefore, the program funding needs are very modest relative to an organization of this magnitude. However, even so, the financial needs are always there with expenses increasing yearly. The NC Missions of Mercy program is dependent on funding from charitable foundations, civic organization, and private donations. With proper funding and volunteer support it is expected that the number of patients receiving free dental treatment in North Carolina will exceed 10,000 per year in the near future.