Smile Keepers
Smile Keepers
Dental Program
The Smile Keepers Dental Program began providing preventive dental education services for Tuolumne County children in 1994. In our 29th year of service, Smile Keepers delivers services in all Tuolumne County Schools and preschool programs for approximately 4800 children annually. Services include preventive dental education, dental screenings, fluoride varnish applications, and referrals for families needing dental care. Smile Keepers is entirely grant-funded and staffed by Erika Hagstrom Dossi, RDA, Ocean Arellano, RDHAP, Jerusha Waelty RDHAP, and Cady Kuykendall, Care Coordinator.
Smile Keepers Contacts
Ocean Arellano RDHAP
Director, Smile Keepers
209.536.2072
oarellano@tcsos.us
Smile Keepers Video
A Look Inside Our Program
For nearly 30 years, the Smile Keepers Dental Program has been providing school-based dental disease prevention in Tuolumne County. Watch our video to see Erika, “The Tooth Fairy,” and our dedicated team help students learn about brushing, flossing, and healthy habits.
Virtual Dental
Home Project
June 2020- Smile Keepers was awarded a 5-year HRSA grant in collaboration with the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry, to open a Virtual Dental Home (VDH) in rural schools in Tuolumne County. Currently, the VDH has a site at Tenaya Elementary in Groveland. Smile Keepers plans to expand the VDH services to other sites in the coming years. This cooperative grant allows Smile Keepers to provide all preventive dental services at the school site and provides a training opportunity for pediatric dental residents in the UCSF dental school to participate in a telehealth model of care.
Smile Keepers
Partners
Preschool Partners
- Columbia College Child Development Center
- Kountry Kids Preschool
- Kiddie Kollege Preschool
- Tiny Tots Preschool
- ATCAA Head Start (all centers)
- Summerville Parent Nursery School
- Tuolumne County Library – Story Time
- Safari Learning Academy
- Mother Lode Christian School Preschool
- Belleview State Preschool
School Partners
- Columbia Elementary
- Curtis Creek Elementary
- Twain Harte Elementary
- Sonora Elementary
- Tenaya Elementary
- Tioga Highschool
- Jamestown Elementary
- Chinese Camp Science Academy
- Summerville Elementary
- Soulsbyville Elementary
- Sierra Waldorf School
- Gold Rush Charter School
- Gold Ridge Education Center
- Tuolumne Learning Center
- Tuolumne County Special Education
Community Partners
- Tuolumne County Behavioral Health – Enrichment Center
- Tuolumne County Public Health Department / Local Oral Health Program
- Amador Community Action Agency
- University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry
- Adventist Health Sonora
- Safari Smiles
Community Support Partners
- Sonora Area Foundation
- Omega Nu
- The Black Hat Foundation
- Adventist Health Sonora
- Chicken Ranch Casino
- Delta Dental Community Care foundation
- First 5 Tuolumne County