In New Orleans, where the shadow cast by Hurricane Katrina has not yet lifted, Dr. Mark Lisagor has provided free dental care to those who have no dental services available.

In May, Lisagor had an opportunity to see the worst-hit areas. Other than debris removal, he said, not much has been done to restore the city to its former glory.

Outside the clinic organized by Operation Blessing and staffed by the Himalayan Dental Relief Project, patients who simply wanted pain relief waited for hours, Lisagor said.

"I'm used to seeing this kind of thing in Third World countries like Vietnam, but it's sort of shocking to see it here," he said, adding that it took about eight months before a nonprofit organization arrived to provide dental care. "Post-Katrina, pretty much all dental offices in the area were destroyed."

Lisagor provides dental care to children and families around the world through charitable organizations. He also is the founding partner of the Children's Dental Group, which has offices in Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Camarillo and Simi Valley.

Lisagor, 59, of Camarillo, said he became involved with the relief project about two years ago when he went to India.

Free care, education

The organization provides free dental care and oral health education to impoverished children and families in Nepal, northern India, Vietnam and Guatemala. Every two years, the organization tries to return to the same children to provide continuous care, project officials said.

Lisagor said he began volunteering about 17 years ago at a clinic in Jerusalem.

"If there was a little more of that kind of contact, it would be harder to turn kids into terrorists in that part of the world," he said.

With an "if you could, you should" philosophy, Lisagor is described by his colleagues as inspiring and dynamic.

"I think his record speaks for itself," said Dr. Lynn Wan, a pediatric dentist and partner at the Children's Dental Group. "He's amazing, and I think he has an amazing legacy in this community."

Lisagor is an active supporter of UCLA, where he received his dental degree. After completing his residency at UCLA Harbor General Hospital, he received his board certification in pediatric dentistry.

A fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club and other organizations benefiting youth of the community, he also is a past president of the California Society of Pediatric Dentists and the American Society of Dentistry for Children in Southern California.

Lisagor plans to take two more trips this year with the relief organization — to Guatemala and Nicaragua — all of which are paid for out of his own pocket, he said.

"Some of it is self-serving," Lisagor said. "I have a passion for travel and for seeing places in the world most people never see."

On his second trip to Katmandu, Nepal, in June, he treated hundreds of patients over a week as one of three dentists in a group of 10 volunteers.

Many travel long distances

Some patients traveled hours on foot or by boat from the most impoverished towns in the region to receive the dental care that Lisagor and his team provided, he said.

"The most extraordinary thing about patients in Nepal is their resilience," Lisagor said. "They endure hardship at an amazing level. Yet, they're the most resilient, happy kids you could ever imagine."

He first volunteered to help in New Orleans about a year ago after seeing the impact of Hurricane Katrina. In May, he returned to assist in the same region.

"I wanted to go back to see if things have improved at all," he said. "It hasn't."