Medical Teams International (MTI) of Redmond has received a $10,000 grant from the RealNetworks Foundation to support mobile dental clinics in the central Puget Sound region. The clinics funded by this grant will provide free or low-cost dental services to more than 145 children and adults in King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties who cannot access and/or afford dental care.

“As budget cuts reduce adult access to public health dental clinics, the need for dental services is greater than ever,” says Nancy Utt, MTI’s manager of Mobile Dental Programs in Washington. “We are grateful for the support of the RealNetworks Foundation as we work to provide access to dental care to those in need.”

Since 1989, Medical Teams International’s Mobile Dental Program has provided quality dental services to those with the least access to care. Volunteer dentists, dental assistants and hygienists staff the organization’s 11 mobile dental units in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, the program served more than 18,000 patients and provided services valued at more than $8 million.

The RealNetworks Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations addressing the needs of communities where RealNetworks employees live and work. The Seattle-based company’s foundation has supported MTI’s Mobile Dental Program since 2009 with annual grants totaling $50,000.

“MTI has taught us how critically important dental health is to overall good health.” said Kathryn Shields, director of the RealNetworks Foundation.