Keystone Mercy Health Plan and Dentex Dental Group, a Philadelphia-based dental care company, are teaming up to bring a new mobile dental health program called “Chester Smiles” to residents in the city.

ABC World News Tonight airs a story about the serious challenges that many low-income children have finding dentists to care for them. The story cites data from the Pew Children’s Dental Campaign.

Scott Youngquist is trained to save lives, not pull teeth. But rarely does the emergency room doctor end a 12 hour shift at University Hospital without seeing at least one dental complaint — from cavities to abscesses. It is a national problem spotlighted Feb. 26 in a report by the Pew Center on the States.

Lacking access to regular care from a dentist, an estimated 830,590 Americans sought help for their dental ailments in the E.R. in 2009, according to a report released yesterday from the Pew Center on the States.

02 28 2012 Americans who turn up in the emergency room to get dental care aren't lost, they're probably just running out of options. According to a new report from the Pew Center on the States, more than 800,000 visits to the ER in 2009 were for toothaches and other avoidable dental ailments.