The hulking Winnebago parked on the playground was attracting a lot of attention from curious children during its debut at Scotten School in Grass Valley.

Inside, Dr. Becky Schultz and dental assistant Elyssa Fairabee showed off the 31-foot motorhome, which has been completely revamped into a mobile clinic for the Healthy Smiles program.

The area that used to house the oven and stove is now a cabinet for the sterilizer. What used to be the sofa is now a toothbrushing station that can seat three children at a time. The bedroom has a complete dental unit with chair light and all necessary equipment to provide complete dental services.

And above the driver's seat is a VCR that plays movies such as “Babe” to entertain children waiting their turn in the chair.

“Before we got the van, we were hauling things around in suitcases — about 250 pounds in seven suitcases,” Schultz said.

Healthy Smiles, now in its third year, serves 15 schools in Nevada County with a significant number of lower-income students. They saw 1,900 students last year and logged 5,000 visits.

The mobile clinic spends anywhere from one hour to one month at a school, depending on the number of children to be served. All the students in the school are eligible, because many dental problems can be transmitted, Schultz explained.

A grant from Sierra Health Foundation provides money to operate the program, which provides individual toothbrushing instruction, a screening exam, and fluoride and sealant treatment — a plastic coating on the permanent molars.

“The program is not designed to be a complete dental work-up. It's more of a supplement to regular care,” Schultz said, adding the three components of the project can cut the rate of dental decay in half.

Sealing the molars is particularly important, because “that's where most cavities occur. We try to time it to catch them as soon as they erupt,” she said.

The dental services provided are free, but Healthy Smiles does bill insurance, mainly MediCal.

And that's why the need for a mobile van became crucial, Schultz said.

“In our second year, they did a routine audit and told us we couldn't use portable equipment, so we started looking for a van,” she said.

Seed money to buy and equip the van was provided by a grant from First 5 of Nevada County; the program is a partnership between Sierra Family Medical Clinic and the Nevada County Public Health Department.

“The van just got completed last week,” Schultz said. “We're still waiting for some equipment ... Now that we've got it, we need to figure out how best to utilize it. Now we can operate through the summer.”

One concern is funding, since the program's grant is not being renewed.

“Sierra Family Medical Clinic has pledged to continue the program, no matter what,” Schultz said. “We're still hoping something will come through.”

To contact Staff Writer Liz Kellar, e-mail lkellar@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4229.