People who can't afford to go to a dentist soon will be able to get cleanings, fillings, extractions, dentures and braces for a simple fee.

Dental Access Lancaster County, or DALCO, kicks off Aug. 1 for low-income, uninsured patients who don't qualify for government programs.

About 100 local dental providers — everyone from general dentists to periodontists — have signed up to provide care through the program. Each has committed to take on at least 10 patients.

"Our hope is that by doing this, we raise the dental health of the community," said Dr. Jason Phillips, president of the Lancaster County Dental Society and a member of the steering committee that helped to launch the project.

DALCO mirrors PALCO, or Project Access Lancaster County.

Begun in 2007 by local physicians and the Lancaster City and County Medical Society, PALCO has served about 3,000 low-income, uninsured patients since its start.

More than 900 medical providers care for patients who pay just $10 a visit through PALCO. Patients get regular preventive care, as well as specialized care.

PALCO has decreased emergency room visits for its clients, who report improved health, organizers say.

Phillips said DALCO organizers aspire to have a similar effect.

"We hope there is less pressure on the hospital emergency room," he said. "That's where a lot of people who aren't insured and who don't have a regular dentist end up going when they have a problem."

Almost half of the dental providers in the county have signed on to DALCO. Phillips hopes others join the network after they see how the program works.

DALCO providers will see patients who work, don't qualify for Medicaid, do not have dental insurance and whose incomes meet certain requirements. Patients can qualify for up to a year of care, after which they will be re-evaluated.

Patients will pay between $10 and $15 a visit for services such as cleaning and exams. They will be charged on a sliding scale, based on their income, for more complex procedures after being referred to a specialist by their dentist.

The expectation is that most of the patients will be adults or senior citizens. Locally, St. Joseph Health Ministries provides dental care to children from low-income families through its Brush. Brush. Smile! program, which sends mobile dental clinics called "Brush Brush Buses" to county schools.

The goal is for dentists and dental specialists to fold DALCO patients into their regular schedule and for patients to include dental care as part of their regular schedule.

"What we're really trying to do is build a dental home for this patient population," Phillips said.

For more information, call 392-1595.

cstauffer@lnpnews.com