History & Mission

History

Dientes was started in 1992 by a few local private dentists who wanted to provide care for the burgeoning HIV infected population who had no other place to go.

Prior to consolidating our services in 2003 at the building on Commercial Way, Dientes had a five-chair clinic on Mission Street in Santa Cruz, a part-time clinic at Allianza School in Watsonville, and provided care one day per week at a private office in Ben Lomond.

In our first full year at our new clinic, we provided approximately 9,000 dental visits.  Partly due to a building expansion in 2007, we currently provide nearly 20,000 visits per year.

Current Operations

Our mission is to create lasting oral health for the underserved children and adults of Santa Cruz County and neighboring communities.

We are one of the few “dental only” federally qualified health centers (FQHC’s) in the U.S. that offers the full range of dental services, including licensed pediatric specialists. Our ten-chair facility serves all low-income, no-income, uninsured and publicly insured residents.

Our primary patient population includes diverse families as well as elderly, HIV positive, disabled, and homeless children and adults.  96% of our patients live at or below the poverty level.

In recent years we have initiated several new programs to further serve our community, including the Outreach and Dental Affinity Programs.