- Portable free dental clinics are conducted over a two-day period, offering complimentary care for adults from under-served households.
- Programs rotate throughout the state, each requiring a host community.
- Each clinic varies in size – depending on funding and volunteers – to serve anywhere from 300 to 3,000 patients.
- Provides a one-to-one patient to dentist ratio, guaranteeing digital X-rays, instrument sterilization and supplies for each patient.
- Clinics are staffed by volunteer dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, lab techs, health professionals and community volunteers.
- Clinic set-up occurs on a Thursday, and patients are treated on a first come-first serve basis that Friday and Saturday, from 6 am-4 pm.
This model of access to care through volunteerism is the hallmark of the Foundation’s MOM clinic outreach program.
- Dentists typically provide one major procedure per patient, such as an extraction or filling.
- Some clinics include a lab feature so that certain patients may be fitted with partial prosthetics (dentures) for missing teeth.
- At all clinics, patients receive education on proper oral hygiene as well as supplies to take home.
- Patients who come to the clinic are in dire need of dental treatment, and most are in severe pain. Many have not seen a dentist in years, and some have never seen a dentist. These clinics provide must-needed relief.
GIVE KIDS A SMILE® (GKAS) 
On the first Friday in February, as part of National Children’s Dental Health Month, thousands of dentists across the country will take time from their practices to help under-served children get the oral health care they need.
Can we count on you to host or participate in a Give Kids A Smile event?
An annual volunteer program that provides free educational, preventative and restorative services to children from low-income families. Many of these children are unable to eat, sleep or pay attention in school, ultimately risking more serious health problems because of their poor oral health.
- For more than 15 years, NC Dental Society members have provided complimentary screenings, treatment and oral health education for deserving children. Each year, we aim for participation among all 100 North Carolina counties, and we need your help.
For the 2022 Public Health award, the Foundation received 6 nominations and 3 nominations for the Endowment Grant. In 2022, we found it tough to decide on one recipient and so we are giving all three organizations 5,000 Endowment Grants and two Dental Public health awards of $1,500 each to the following organizations:
2022 Endowment Grants Awarded to:
Wake Smiles
The Care Suite
ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation
2022 Public Health Awards Awarded to:
FirstHealth Dental Care
Community Care Clinic of Rowan County
Each of the above organizations are helping increase dental access among their respective communities through direct services for uninsured populations as well as through education and awareness about dental care.
NCDS Foundation Relief Fund
The North Carolina Dental Society (NCDS) Foundation Relief Fund is a need-based program designed to provide
temporary emergency relief to dentists who are not financially self-sustaining due to circumstances beyond their
control. Please view the following Relief Fund Rules to see if you are eligible to apply.
Grants are awarded by the NCDS Foundation at the discretion of its Grant Review Committee (“Committee”), consistent with the Committee’s interpretation of Relief Fund Rules and subject to fund availability.
Application period: The application period is open.
To apply: Review the rules of the grant program and submit a complete application, along with supporting documentation to the NCDS Foundation as described in the Application.
The level of financial detail on the Application is required to show need-based funding and for compliance with the Foundation’s tax-exempt status. Personal information is kept confidential by the Grants Committee.
Dental Workforce Development Initiative
The epidemic has caused a previously unheard-of disruption in the US and the NC healthcare industry, as well as the medical personnel. The labor market for dental assistants and dental hygienists has reportedly tightened significantly, and many dentists in the state are finding it extremely difficult to fill these positions.
Through a grant from the Dogwood Health Trust, the NC Dental Society Foundation awarded scholarships to students enrolled in the Dental Assistant and Dental Hygiene programs at three community colleges in Western North Carolina. Supporting 60 students in allied dental programs at recognized community colleges throughout the state with partial scholarships as a means of addressing the state’s lack of dental professionals.