Marking its debut in the field of pediatric dentistry, the Borrego Community Health Foundation has announced its merger with The Smile Factory Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the oral health of children residing in the desert region. Founded in 2000, The Smile Factory provides free screenings and dental treatment to approximately 17,000 children a year, as well as a range of individual dental services to more than 2,000 children who are in need.

With its 53-foot mobile dental clinic, the Palm Springs-based service provides free dental treatment for children between the ages of 4 and 11 at 18 elementary schools in Palm Springs Unified School District, 20 elementary schools in the Desert Sands Unified School District, as well as kindergarteners in Coachella Valley Unified School District.

The Smile Factory has extended its outreach beyond local schools to medical facilities such as the Borrego Community Health Foundation’s medical clinics in Cathedral City and other locations.