A patient opens her mouth for an examination early Friday morning during the annual free dental day at the Douglas County Dental Clinic, 2210 Yale Road.

Janice Bozeman was delivering newspapers before sunrise Friday when she noticed a line of people outside the Douglas County Dental Clinic. She stopped to ask what was going on and found out it was the clinic’s annual free dental day, which provides cleanings, fillings and extractions to dozens of local residents who can’t otherwise afford it.

So Bozeman, of Lawrence, got in line. A few hours later, she had a broken tooth filled. She also called her husband, who was in need of dental work, and he dropped by as well.

“It’s usually hundreds of dollars for a filling,” the 51-year-old said as she waited outside the clinic Friday morning. “This is nice to have for people who really need it.”

Patients started lining up as early as 5:30 p.m. Thursday for the free dental day, which began screening them at 6:30 a.m. Friday. About 70 people took advantage of the no-cost care, which was provided by local volunteers including nine dentists and four hygienists. The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department also distributed free flu shots.

“For a lot of folks, this is the only day of the year they access care,” said Julie Branstrom, executive director of the Douglas County Dental Clinic, which since 2001 has provided reduced-fee dental care to low-income residents who are uninsured or on Medicaid. “And for the volunteers, this gives them an opportunity to give back to the community.”

Laura Bistak, 44, of Lawrence, already goes to the clinic for her dental care but came to Friday’s event because it was completely free. She arrived at 4:30 a.m., when she was No. 14 in line.

“I got a cleaning, and they didn’t find any cavities,” said Bistak, who said she is unemployed due to a disability. “It’s been a long time since I had a cleaning.”

Macey Webb, 32, of Lawrence, was one spot ahead of Bistak in line, having arrived an hour before her. She saw news coverage of 2013’s free dental day after the fact and made a point to be there this year.

Before Friday, she hadn’t received dental care for about 15 years because she lacks insurance and earns too much to be seen at the safety-net clinic. On Friday, Webb, who manages a local video game store, got a full examination and had one cavity filled. The dentist also educated her on how she might prevent dental problems in the future.

“I think free health care is the best free thing you can get,” she said as she walked out of the clinic Friday morning, smiling.