Free Dental Van Parks at Pasadena Library for Children Through Aug. 7

A free mobile dental clinic has been set up at the Jefferson Branch Library, where licensed dental professionals and USC dental students are treating children ages 5 to 18 through Aug. 7.

The clinic, run by the Pasadena nonprofit Young & Healthy in partnership with the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC and the Pasadena Public Library, provides free screenings, cleanings and sealants. It operates Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and runs alongside the library’s Lunch at the Library summer program. The clinic is open to all children ages 5 to 18, according to Young & Healthy. Appointments are required.

The van does more than clean teeth. Screenings are used to identify children who need further care, who can then be enrolled in Young & Healthy’s ongoing dental clinics.

“The whole intent is to make sure that no child is getting missed in terms of their dental care,” Shelley Boyle, co-executive director of Young & Healthy, said in an interview reported by Pasadena Weekly. “We can identify those kids that might need more serious treatments, and we can get them enrolled into the clinic.”

Young & Healthy has connected low-income and uninsured children in Pasadena, Altadena, South Pasadena and Sierra Madre with free health services for about 36 years, as of 2026, according to the organization. It has partnered with the USC Mobile Dental Clinic, which visits Pasadena twice a year, for about 31 years, the organization said.

Boyle has tied that work to school attendance, telling Pasadena Weekly that dental pain or embarrassment about their teeth is a leading reason children miss class. The summer van is intended to catch those problems early, before they interrupt a child’s schooling.

“Mobile dentistry gives us the opportunity to reach children who are often overlooked,” Sunny Sanaz Fereshteh, director of the USC Mobile Clinic, said in remarks reported by Pasadena Weekly. Fereshteh, who has worked with the clinic for more than a decade, said some children need more than 30 hours of treatment to complete their care.

The Jefferson Branch Library, at 1500 E. Villa St., Pasadena 91106, serves as the Pasadena Public Library’s youth-services hub while the Central Library is closed for seismic retrofitting. It is also a meal site for Lunch at the Library, a California State Library program supported with state funds that pairs free summer meals with reading and enrichment activities for children and teens.

The dental van’s placement at the library reflects that pairing: families who come for a midday meal can visit the outreach table and schedule a child’s dental appointment in the same trip.

Appointments can be made by calling Young & Healthy at (626) 795-5166. Families can also visit the organization’s outreach tables at the Jefferson or Villa Parke branch libraries.

The van’s last day at the library is Aug. 7, 2026.