Sharp Need for Dental Care Unfilled for Many Immigrants

"It was a horrible stress," she said. "It's not a 100 percent clean what they use."

Many things can go wrong with a botched dental procedure, said William V. Dougherty, president of the Northern Virginia Dental Society. A nonsterile area could lead to a fatal infection in the head, as in the recent case of 12-year-old Deamonte Driver in Prince George's County. Roots can be broken, jaws fractured. The wrong anesthesia could be deadly.

Just a few weeks ago, Dougherty and others cared for 550 patients at the fifth Mission of Mercy Project, in which dental workers volunteer to treat the uninsured. Among the 75 dentists and 40 dental hygienists were 12 Spanish-speaking translators.

On Culmore Court, the majority of residents come from Central America, with many having just arrived, property manager Manuel Azmitia said. Because many of the men work construction and other seasonal jobs, he said, it's not unusual for residents to fall behind on rent.

"This is the first time I heard of someone taking chances with a business like this," he said.

Outreach by Center

Lidia Maguina sits behind a desk at the Culmore Family Resource Center, a cheerful avocado-colored room operated by the county just doors away from the apartment where the dental setup was discovered. As the human services coordinator, she answers a variety of questions for the community.

One recent morning, a woman came in asking for help with immigration forms. Then a man with a faded Harvard sweat shirt and bloodshot eyes asked for substance abuse guidance. Three Mexican women in their 20s walked in, carrying two babies and searching for diapers. There were none.

In Spanish, Maguina asked the women one by one what they would do if they needed a dentist. The first woman, who has lived in the area four years, said she would call a group that she heard provides consultations for $40. The second woman, who had been here a year, said she would take a pill. The third just shrugged.

"It's very hard," Maguina said. "There are some places we can refer them to, but many of them have waiting lists that are very long. Sometimes the only thing we have left to do is get the Yellow Pages and go down the list and see how much they charge."

Her office usually refers people to Northern Virginia Community College, where students work under the supervision of a dentist. But most of those services are preventive.

They are not for someone such as Joseph Muñoz, 30. The Peruvian man's gums have bled for five years, he said, but each time he visited a dentist, he would be quoted a price he couldn't afford.

"I would tell them I'll be back next week, and because I didn't have the money, I didn't go back," he said. "In order to fix my mouth, I had to sell my eyes."