New Telemedicine Project Will Provide Improved Access to Dental Care for Underserved Communities in California

Low-income residents in the San Fernando Valley will receive improved access to dental care, thanks to a new telemedicine project created by the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry.

Known as the Virtual Dental Home, the project will give participating dentists a simple yet secure means to electronically examine a patient remotely with help from dental hygienists and dental assistants in underserved communities

The California Dental Association Foundation, the California HealthCare Foundation, Verizon and MEND (Meet Each Need with Dignity), a nonprofit organization that provides services to the neediest residents of the San Fernando Valley, collaborated on the project. The Verizon Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to support the first year of the Virtual Dental Home at MEND's Pacoima facility, the project's Southern California site, and at another site in Northern California.