East Hollywood’s Kids Dental Kare has been sold to Western Dental Services Inc., one of the nation’s largest dental providers, company officials announced Thursday.
Western Dental, a century-old company based in Orange, purchased the 23-year-old Kids Dental Kare for an undisclosed amount in a deal arranged by Synergy Advisors, an investment bank in El Segundo. Kids Dental Kare provides pediatric dental services in underserved communities across Southern California.
The acquisition includes 14 Kids Dental Kare offices in Los Angeles, Ventura and Fresno counties, including in Hollywood, Burbank, Crenshaw, Pasadena, East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Panorama City, Lynwood, El Monte, Paramount, Norwalk, Baldwin Park, Oxnard and Fresno.
Kids Dental Care, which include two dozen dentists, has been a major participant in Denti-Cal, part of the Medi-Cal public insurance program for low-income families. Dr. Jerry Lanier, chief executive of Western Dental, has also won civic awards for his free screenings and treatment of underprivileged kids.
Western Dental, founded in Los Angeles in 1903, has nearly 250 dental offices in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas, employing more than 4,500 dental professionals, including more than 700 dentists who serve about 2.5 million patient visits a year, according to the company.
It has 190 dental offices in California, including 24 dedicated to pediatric dentistry and orthodontics. Its dentists served more than 500,000 Denti-Cal patients last year.
