In February, more than 1,800 people received free dental care at Oklahoma’s first ever Mission of Mercy. At 5 a.m. on February 5th, 2010 there was a long line at Tulsa's Convention Center. It wasn’t for a concert, conference, or school volleyball tournament – but for a much needed trip to the dentist.

More than 1,400 people lined up on day one of the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy (OkMOM) event. Organized by the Oklahoma Dental Association, OkMOM was funded by a $150,000 grant from the Delta Dental of Oklahoma Charitable Foundation.

The clinic, which was staffed by more than 1,300 volunteers, offered extractions, fillings, cleanings and root canals in addition to dental education and medical screenings. The goal was to treat 1,600 people on that Friday and Saturday. But with everyone pulling together, they actually treated 1805 patients and performed almost 7,000 procedures.

“OkMOM was a huge success and I’m proud that due to our not-for-profit status, the Delta Dental Foundation is able to realize its mission and fund these types of events that really change people’s lives." said John Gladden, President and CEO of Delta Dental of Oklahoma.

Future OkMOM events are planned for 2011 in Oklahoma City and 2012 in McAlester.

For more information, visit http://www.deltadentalok.org/communityservice/OkMOM.asp