A new mobile dental unit will soon be making its way across the Ozarks.

In the United States, dental decay is the most common chronic disease in school-aged children. Jordan Valley Community Health Center recently unveiled its new two-chair mobile dental unit. With the bright-animated graphics on the outside and the warm feeling inside, the goal is to ease the fear people may have about the dentist.

"The Dentist has a bad rep at times, and so we're certainly trying to overcome that," said Jordan Valley Vice President of Oral Health, Nick Pfannenstiel.

Dr. Pfannenstiel says they want children to feel welcomed from the time they look at the unit to the time they walk in.

"We turn on the TV's, we watch movies with them and then just being able to put them in a comfortable environment, and also provide access to oral health care at that same time," explained Dr. Pfannenstiel.

In the U.S, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in school-aged children. That's why Jordan Valleys Mobile Dental Unit will provide on-site thorough dental cleanings, x-rays, extractions, fillings, and sealants to more than 20 school districts in southwest Missouri. However, the goal is to reach more than just children.

"It's open for adults, we'll typically go to community partner events and housing and facilities, or working on individuals that might be homeless," said Dr. Pfannenstiel.

Dr. Pfannenstiel says that community health is not an issue that any one organization is going to solve alone. Various organizations jump aboard to help with the mobile dental unit.

"We raised a little over $108,000 for the project," said Rotary Club of Springfield President, Dewayne Fulk. "The total cost was over $500,000. So there was a lot of other need as well as what we provided that Jordan Valley Community Health Center obtained through a lot of other grants and other donations."

Delta Dental also contributed a $75,000 grant. Plus, Fulk says they're excited to see what's next for the new dental unit.

"This dental unit will travel all over southwest Missouri providing services for children, and for communities and health and hygiene, all of which are principles that focus on rotary international," explained Fulk

The mobile dental unit will also help ease the trouble for students and parents, along with helping increase dental care rates. Dr. Pfannenstiel, says this new dental unit, helps them meet Jordan Valley's mission.

"If we can continually use this mobile unit to go to some of our community partners and those school districts, we can provide that health home at that location where they are," said Dr. Pfannenstiel.