For the more than 1,000 people who traveled to the Mid-Ohio Valley in recent days, the Mission of Mercy Dental Clinic was a "blessing" to those in need of dental care but without the means to pay for it.

It was reported that people drove from all over West Virginia and Ohio, and also from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Some actually pitched tents to be the first in line when the clinic opened Friday, undeterred by rain. And while it's wonderful that this free clinic was able to help so many, it's also startling to see just how many people are going without regular dental care. Some had been living in pain and discomfort. Others with dentures that needed repaired or wisdom teeth that needed removed. Many said they couldn't afford procedures that would cost them $1,000 to $2,000, others were there because they couldn't afford less costly procedures of $100 to $200.

We know there are thousands more out there.

We commend the many medical personnel, health care officials and others who came together to pull this off. Thanks, too, to West Virginia University at Parkersburg which turned over hallways, classrooms and other areas where people received care.

The real issue is what happens next. Clearly there's a need for affordable, accessible dental care, yet too many people live without it, either by choice or by circumstances. Yet organizers of this clinic can't say if they will offer another in the future. We urge them to do so.

We also urge local health departments, health councils and other advocacy groups to look at the issue of dental care and how more people can have access to dentists and clinics already here in the area.

In Ohio, state budget cuts threaten care offered through the Washington County dental clinic, where hours could be cut or the clinic closed if funding no longer is available.

The need for dental care isn't a problem that will go away anytime soon. There are hundreds of people, if not thousands, in the Mid-Ohio Valley out of work and without insurance and even with insurance, the cost of some procedures put them out of reach.

Dental care is key to a high quality of life. Residents of the Mid-Ohio Valley deserve to have access to that care. We hope the Mission of Mercy clinic, the Washington County clinic, and others like them, continue to be available to those who wouldn't otherwise receive the care.