For the past 20 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks has been proud to offer vital dental care to children in need through our beloved mobile clinic. We’re proud to state that in the last 20 years the Tooth Truck (also known as the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®) has reached 30,654 of at-risk children and provided $22,836,332 in services at no cost to their families. And now, we’re thrilled to introduce the newest member of our family: the Tooth Truck 2.0!
With a state-of-the-art clinic and a warm, welcoming atmosphere, the Tooth Truck 2.0 is ready to provide top-quality dental care to even more children across the Ozarks. We’re proud to build on the legacy of the original Tooth Truck and continue to serve families. In fact, many of the parents bringing their children to the Tooth Truck today were once patients themselves!
Our new Tooth Truck is only possible thanks to Springfield Public Schools’ gift of $538,719 in ARPA ESSER funds, and a contribution of $34,500 from Delta Dental of Missouri to underwrite dental equipment!
At the Tooth Truck, children receive more than dental care. They also receive the tools and the knowledge to help maintain their oral health. A visit to the Tooth Truck can have a lasting impact, as was discovered in a recent study in which we went back and visited more than 600 kids who had previously been treated by the Tooth Truck. This study was conducted in three parts, and focused on four groups of Tooth Truck kids—those treated during the 2011-2012, 2014-2015, 2017-2018, and 2020-2021 school years. The results speak for themselves. In each of the groups the Tooth Truck revisited, more than 89% of former Tooth Truck kids had maintained or improved their oral hygiene. This demonstrates the profound impact the Tooth Truck has on children across the Ozarks, both in helping them reclaim their confidence, and providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to keep their smiles healthy.
With your support, kids can discover the rewards of a bright happy smile. Ronald McDonald House Charities maximizes every contribution, quadrupling its value to provide dental treatment for children in need. Thank you for bringing quality dental care to these children, and for keeping the Tooth Truck on the road.
Please join our community of supporters and donate today – helping The Tooth Truck and Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Ozarks accelerate onto the hygiene highway to provide dental treatments to the kids in our community who truly need it the most.
