North Charleston Dental Outreach

About the Organization

When the North Charleston Dental Outreach (NCDO) was founded as an emergency evening clinic in 1998, its goal was to meet the urgent dental needs of local patients who couldn't afford care in a private office. In 2022, it opened a new clinic which is open four days a week during regular business hours to provide diagnostic, preventative, restorative, emergent and educational services at no cost to those in need.

Patients by the Numbers

• $25,422 is the median household income
• 74% have a single mother as the head of household
• 63.7% do not have a college degree
• 90% have no dental insurance
• 50% are over the age of 50
• 80% are from minority populations

Project Goals

• Offer mentoring opportunities to undergraduate and dental students from MUSC and to dental hygiene students from Trident Technical College
• Develop, educate and strengthen the at-risk, under-resourced North Charleston community
• Offer dental services to veterans
• Improve the oral and systemic health of patients
• Foster a generation of students and residents who will one day give back to their own communities

Project Results

Prior to the grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina Foundation, the clinic was making do with unreliable equipment that often needed costly repairs. The NCDO used the grant money to:

• Purchase three state-of-the-art dental treatment stations.
• Purchase three X-ray sensors and a handpiece maintenance system.
• Cover the portion of one dental assistant's salary.

Not only does this save the NCDO money in the long run — allowing them to reinvest in the clinic and staff — it helps the clinic attract and retain students and volunteers. 

Currently, the NCDO has:

• Four full-time staff.
• Eight residents.
• Three volunteer dental hygienists.
• Thirty-five volunteer dentists.
• Thirty-two volunteers in hospitality, office and upkeep roles.