Douglas County Dental Clinic

What Douglas County Dental Clinic does

Douglas County Dental Clinic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit safety-net dental clinic headquartered at 2210 Yale Rd in Lawrence, Kansas, serving the uninsured, low-income, and Kansas Medicaid (KanCare) populations of Douglas County who meet federal poverty-level income guidelines. Founded in 1998 as the Douglas County Dental Coalition by community members addressing local dental care gaps, the clinic opened to patients in October 2001 with initial funding from the Ethel and Raymond Rice Foundation and the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund. It provides reduced-fee dental services on an income-based sliding scale, accepting KanCare and commercial insurance, and supplements operations through tax-deductible community donations across four tiers (Bright Smile up to $99 through Gold Crown $500-$1,000).

The clinic's core offerings are general dental services — examinations, sealants, crowns, extractions, and root canals — delivered at a single Lawrence facility, supplemented by the Friendly Smiles school-based outreach program that brings free diagnostic, preventive, and operative dental services to uninsured children at area schools. Technology is conventional dental equipment and standard procedures; no proprietary platform, software product, or digital distribution channel is operated. The clinic has moved through several Lawrence locations (Bob Billings Parkway, Maine Street) before settling at its current address and now serves more than 4,200 patients across more than 8,000 visits annually with an 11-50 employee team.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid of sliding-scale patient fees, KanCare/Medicaid reimbursements, and community donations, with payments due at time of service via cash, check, or credit card. The go-to-market is community- and referral-led rather than commercial-sales-led: acquisition comes from word-of-mouth, social-service referrals, and school nurse partnerships through Friendly Smiles. The clinic is independent, with no parent company, no private equity or institutional investor ownership, and no disclosed funding rounds or M&A activity.

Name

Douglas County Dental Clinic

Legal name

Douglas County Dental Clinic

Website

https://dcdclinic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Douglas County Dental Clinic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit safety-net dental clinic in Lawrence, Kansas, providing reduced-fee dental care on a sliding scale to uninsured, low-income, and KanCare (Kansas Medicaid) residents of Douglas County, supplemented by the Friendly Smiles school-based outreach program for children.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Dental Services

NAICS

Offices of Dentists (621210)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Public Health Dentistry Clinics (FQHC/School-Based/Nonprofit) (HLABAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

School/Community-Based Preventive Dental Programs (HLABAHAM)

Keywords

• Community dental services
• Safety-net dental care
• Sliding scale dentistry
• School dental outreach
• Underserved dental care

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sliding Scale Dental Fees: Fees are greatly reduced and offered on a sliding scale according to patient income based on federal poverty levels. Payment is due at time of service. Accepts cash, check, or credit card.
2. KanCare (Kansas Medicaid): Clinic accepts KanCare and commercially insured patients who meet income guidelines and residency requirements.
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations from community members at various levels (Gold Crown $500-$1000, Silver Filling $250-$499, Pearly White $100-$249, Bright Smile up to $99). Donations support reduced-fee and charitable dental care for low-income uninsured patients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Douglas County Dental Clinic is a non-profit safety-net dental clinic providing reduced-fee dental care on a sliding scale based on income and federal poverty levels to underserved Douglas County, Kansas residents, including uninsured, low-income individuals, and Kansas Medicaid (KanCare) beneficiaries. Services include examinations, X-rays, cleanings, sealants, crowns, extractions, root canals, fillings, fluoride varnish, and oral health education, delivered both at the clinic and through the Friendly Smiles school-based outreach program that provides free dental services to qualifying uninsured children.

Product overview

Douglas County Dental Clinic is a non-profit safety-net dental clinic providing reduced-fee dental care services to underserved populations in Douglas County, Kansas. The clinic operates with three interconnected offerings: General Dental Services (examinations, sealants, crowns, extractions, root canals), the Friendly Smiles Program (a school-based outreach initiative offering free dental services to qualifying children), and Sliding Scale Fee Services that adjust costs based on patient income. The clinic serves over 4,200 patients annually across more than 8,000 visits, accepting KanCare and commercial dental insurance while providing charitable care to low-income uninsured individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Friendly Smiles: An outreach program that brings FREE diagnostic, preventive, and operative dental services to area schools for uninsured children who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program or have a medical card or commercial insurance.

Products and services

• General Dental Services Comprehensive dental care services including examinations, sealants, crowns, extractions, and root canals provided at reduced fees on a sliding scale based on income, for Douglas County, Kansas residents who meet income and residency guidelines.
• Friendly Smiles School-Based Outreach Program School-based outreach program that brings free diagnostic, preventive, and operative dental services (exams, X-rays, cleanings, fluoride varnish, sealants, fillings, extractions) to uninsured children in area schools who qualify for free/reduced lunch or who have a medical card or commercial insurance.
• Sliding Scale Fee Dental Services Reduced-fee dental care offered on a sliding scale according to patient income and federal poverty levels, accepting KanCare (Kansas Medicaid) and commercial dental insurance; payment is due at the time of service via cash, check, or credit card.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ dental visits annually serving 4,200+ patients

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Care Beyond the Boulevard: Kansas City-based nonprofit delivering free mobile and clinic-based medical and dental care to underserved populations, comparable to DCDC's mission-driven safety-net service model.
• Swope Health: Kansas City-area FQHC providing comprehensive dental services in addition to medical and behavioral care on a sliding scale, similar to DCDC as a non-profit community dental provider.
• Kansas City CARE Clinic: Non-profit clinic providing medical, dental, and behavioral health services to low-income and uninsured residents of the Kansas City area, comparable to DCDC's nonprofit sliding-fee dental model.
• Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas: FQHC operating multiple clinic sites across southeast Kansas providing dental services to underserved populations via sliding scale fees and Medicaid, comparable to DCDC's safety-net dental delivery model.
• Health Partnership Clinic: FQHC serving Johnson and Miami counties in Kansas with medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding scale, directly comparable to DCDC's Kansas-based safety-net dental care mission.
• Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center: Federally Qualified Health Center in Kansas City providing dental services to underserved populations on a sliding scale, directly comparable to DCDC's safety-net dental mission.
• GraceMed Health Clinic: Federally Qualified Health Center in Kansas providing integrated medical and dental services on a sliding scale to underserved populations, directly comparable in mission and safety-net operating model to Douglas County Dental Clinic.
• HealthCore Clinic: Wichita-based FQHC offering medical, dental, and behavioral health services on a sliding fee scale to uninsured and low-income patients, aligned with DCDC's community health and reduced-fee dental model.

Broad incumbents

• Heartland Dental: Large Dental Service Organization supporting hundreds of affiliated general and specialty dental offices nationwide; a broad incumbent in the same dental services category, though operating on a fully fee-for-service model rather than DCDC's safety-net model.

Others

• National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics: National membership organization representing free and charitable clinics including safety-net dental providers like DCDC; relevant as an ecosystem partner and industry association rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dcdclinic
• Facebookfacebook.com/dcdclinic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/douglas-county-dental-clinic

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Douglas County Dental Clinic