School of Dentistry Volunteers Moored in Care Harbor Once Again

Two UCLA Dentistry students pose in masks with Dr. Edmond Hewlett, at right
Dr. Edmond Hewlett (right) helped mobilize 57 UCLA School of Dentistry students, five faculty supervisors to treatments during Care Harbor, March 4-6, 2022.
March 7, 2022

The School of Dentistry’s community service initiatives made an impactful return in 2021-22, following a hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether coordinated by faculty or the 40-plus student-run organizations and associations, the Bruin dental community fanned out across Southern California to volunteer during the past academic year.

Care Harbor Los Angeles, which the School has participated in since 2011 alongside other UCLA Health entities, is one such resumed initiative. The three-day clinic held at The Reef, a 100,000-square-foot exhibition space in downtown Los Angeles, offers free essential services to those in need. In dentistry, that encompasses cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals, and oral cancer screenings performed by volunteer dentists and hygienists as well as pre-doctoral dental students overseen by faculty members.

In total 463 patients received 1,863 dental services during the March 4-6, 2022, event. Many were performed by 22 fourth-year UCLA School of Dentistry students supported by five faculty supervisors and 35 lower-level SOD students serving as chairside assistants and in other essential roles.

Due to the pandemic, only 38% of those treated said they had seen a dentist in the past year, a decline from 45% at the previous Care Harbor event in 2019. Meanwhile, 55% of patients they were unemployed, further underscoring the importance of Care Harbor’s resumption.

Seeing the faces behind those sobering statistics motivates Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Dr. Edmond Hewlett, who has helped mobilize UCLA Dentistry’s cadre of volunteers since Care Harbor’s inception.

“We can study factors and data, but during Care Harbor we see first-hand what lack of access to health care looks like for the underserved adults and children in our communities,” said Hewlett. “UCLA Dentistry’s students and faculty played a critical role as this – the first Care Harbor event since the start of the pandemic – was beset with unusually low numbers of volunteer dentists and hygienists. They worked tirelessly and enabled far more patients to receive care over the three days. I could not be prouder of them!”