Blair to Host Young & Healthy’s Mobile Dental Clinic Starting Thursday

In an effort to prioritize the dental health of local students, Blair High School is hosting the University of Southern California Mobile Dental Clinic, in coordination with local nonprofit Young & Healthy, from Feb. 22 to 29.

The University of Southern California Mobile Dental Clinic has been a regular fixture in the local community and aims to provide dental care to students aged 5-18 residing in Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre, or South Pasadena. The program requires a commitment from parents or guardians to attend several appointments during the clinic week, and pre-registration is mandatory.

Young & Healthy, an organization dedicated to ensuring children’s access to healthcare, has been collaborating with the Pasadena Unified School District since its inception in 1990. Part of Young & Healthy’s comprehensive dental programs, the University of Southern California Mobile Dental Clinic has become an annual fixture in the district.

“We have this long-standing partnership with Pasadena Unified School District,” said Ellen Kramer, Young & Healthy executive director. “In all these years of sponsoring a mobile dental clinic, we have almost consistently moved from one school to the next throughout the district. Blair High School is one of our favorite places to go because it’s home to Pasadena Unified School District’s International Academy.”

Kramer explained the University of Southern California Mobile Dental Clinic will offer a range of dental services to participating students. The services can be preventative, such as fluoride applications and scaling, or restorative and surgical as well.

“We do things like fillings, pulpotomies, crowns, root cleaning and extraction, so basically they can do anything onsite that doesn’t require anesthesia,” Kramer added. “If the students need something that requires anesthesia, then they’ll be referred either to the University of Southern California Dental clinic on campus or to one of our volunteer dentists within the Young & Healthy Network.”

The clinic’s impact extends beyond dental care, Kramer said. It also addresses self-esteem issues, improves school attendance, and educates children on maintaining good oral health.

“It’s such a wonderful thing to witness the kids go in, they are treated with such care and warmth and so much reassurance that they undergo some really significant treatments in the chair,” Kramer said. “But they come out smiling, they’re hugging their dentists, they get little gifts, and they come back willingly and enthusiastically the next few days to get the rest of their treatments. And so we’re setting the stage, and instead of a terrifying experience, we’re showing them that going to the dentist does not have to be a scary thing.”

For the Mobile Dental Clinic, Kramer said they expect up to 75 students who will receive dental care throughout the week, with many on the list added as a result of Young & Healthy’s outreach with Pasadena Unified School District and the community. The University of Southern California will be managing the logistics, bringing in mobile vans and dental students based on their rotations and the expected number of students.

For more information and to register for future clinics, call Young & Healthy at (626) 795-5166.

Blair High School is located at 1201 S. Marengo Ave. in Pasadena.