Virginia Dental Association Foundation

Each year, Virginia dentists provide free oral health care services to thousands of underserved children from across the Commonwealth through Give Kids a Smile! A program of the American Dental Association, Give Kids a Smile! focuses on offering oral health education to all children while providing free preventive and restorative care to children with limited means for securing dental services. In addition to helping children, Give Kids A Smile! highlights for policymakers the ongoing challenges that underserved children and children with disabilities face in accessing dental care. The Virginia Dental Association Foundation (VDAF) functions as an umbrella for the numerous charitable education, screening, prevention and comprehensive treatment programs held annually across our state, serving as a resource for events, aggregating the results of these endeavors, and effectively communicating them to stakeholders.

While many people can now receive oral health care through public programs, many residents of Virginia - particularly those that are low-income, under-insured, elderly or disabled - are often left without any dental care to face pain, discomfort, and embarrassment. In response to the lack of access to care and the resulting poor oral health of thousands of Virginians, the VDAF operates the Mission of Mercy (MOM) program.  MOM projects are mobile dental clinics that bring help and hope to Virginians in need of free dental care. Numerous clinics are held in strategic locations across the Commonwealth each year, typically serving over 1,000 people, primarily adults. Founded in 2000 by Dr. Terry Dickinson, the Virginia MOM program has completed over 100 projects, served over 70,000 patients, and provided over $49.6 million in care. Our MOM model has now been replicated in 31 other states and served as the inspiration for a national MOM program.