Hundreds of mostly poor and uninsured people are expected to turn out for a free dental clinic this weekend in Waterbury, an annual Connecticut event that has drawn patients from as far away as Michigan, The Associated Press reports.
More than 800 volunteers, including 250 dentists, will staff the fourth annual clinic by the Connecticut Mission of Mercy with services ranging from cleanings to root canals.
Dr. Robert Schreibman, the co-chair of the event, said they treated 2,052 people at last year’s clinic in Middletown and they expect more this year due to the weak economy.
“We have people from Michigan, from Ohio, from North Carolina, all over the country,” he said. “They find out about it on the Internet. It’s amazing.”
The Connecticut Mission of Mercy was started in 2008 by the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach, the America’s Dentists Care Foundation and Connecticut State Dental Association. Fourteen other states participate in similar programs.
