Mending Kids Provides Critical Dental Care to Children and Young Adults With Special Needs

LONG BEACH, Calif., September 23, 2026 (Newswire.com) - Mending Kids provided comprehensive dental care to eight children and young adults with significant special needs during its Hometown Mission on September 19 at MemorialCare Outpatient Surgical Center in Long Beach. It marked the organization's second Hometown Mission providing dental care to patients with special needs in the past 12 months.

Sponsored by the CDA Foundation, the mission brought together more than 40 dental and medical professionals and volunteers to care for patients for whom dental treatment in a traditional dental office is impossible to tolerate.

For these patients, dental treatment required general anesthesia in an operating room setting, where access is extremely limited and families can face waits of two to three years. Some of the patients had never received dental care. Other families had watched their children age out of waiting lists before receiving the care they needed.

"Families of children with special needs tirelessly advocate for their kids, but even the most determined parent can't access care that simply isn't available," said Isabelle Fox, Executive Director of Mending Kids. "For these families, finally getting their child into an operating room can be an enormous relief."

Each patient spent approximately two and a half to three hours under anesthesia while dental teams provided comprehensive care, including X-rays, cleanings, restorations, and dental surgery when necessary. Together, the eight patients represented nearly 24 hours of operating room time in a single day.

While patients were safely under anesthesia, each patient also received an Ear, Nose, and Throat examination, and blood draws were performed as needed, providing additional care that would otherwise be impossible for some of these patients to tolerate.

The CDA Foundation was instrumental in providing the specialized dental equipment needed to deliver care in the surgical setting. XDR Radiology provided dental imaging sensors and technology, and MemorialCare Outpatient Surgical Center provided access to its operating rooms and facilities.

The mission was also made possible by grants from the Helen and Jose Colton Foundation and the Pepperdine Philanthropy Lab, and by the dentists, anesthesiologists, ENT physician, nurses and other medical professionals who donated their time and skills. UCLA School of Dentistry students supported the mission in nonclinical roles, gaining firsthand exposure to delivering dental care to patients with significant special needs in an operating room setting.

"We're known for our global health work, but this is a critical need right here in our own community," Fox said. "Our goal is to expand these missions while also bringing greater attention to the need for access to this care across the state."

Families, medical providers, educators and community organizations interested in referring a child, teen or young adult with special needs for a future Hometown Mission can call Mending Kids at 800 993 5680 or refer a patient online at mendingkids.org/htm.html.

ABOUT MENDING KIDS

Mending Kids provides free surgical care to children in the United States and around the world while helping medical communities build sustainable surgical capacity through training and skills transfer. Since its founding, Mending Kids has provided surgical care to thousands of children from more than 78 countries.

Learn more at mendingkids.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

Mending Kids
800 993 5680
hello@mendingkids.org
www.mendingkids.org

SOURCE: Mending Kids

Source: Mending Kids