United Concordia Dental, one of the nation’s largest dental insurers, is providing a $7,500 grant to a Maryland-based organization to allow uninsured people to obtain dental care in Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The grant is part of the Harrisburg, Pa-based insurer’s commitment to more than $400,000 in free dental services to nearly 2,800 people in need since the beginning of the year, the company said.

By the end of the year, United Concordia Dental will have held more than 50 free dental clinics, including some in Harrisburg and Gettysburg, Pa., as well as in Arizona, Georgia, California and Texas. Volunteer dentists and hygienists provided free services at the clinics, which ranged from cleanings and X-rays to fillings and fluoride treatment.

“We are committed to enhancing the communities we serve,” said Richard P. Klich, United Concordia Dental’s national dental director. “That’s why we’re helping hold free dental clinics for those in need across the nation. By the end of the year, more than 50 clinics will have been held in places like Harrisburg and Gettysburg, Pa.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Columbus, Ga.; San Dimas, Calif.; and Arlington, Texas.”

During October, National Oral Hygiene Month, the company is partnering with Mission of Mercy (MOM), headquartered in Frederick, Md., and its parent company, Highmark Inc., the large Blue Shield affiliate headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pa., to hold a number of clinics in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Using a $7,500 grant from the dental insurer, MOM expects to provide more than 400 free fillings and extractions to the uninsured in those areas in October said Linda Ryan, MOM executive director.