(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
HERE’S wishing that it will happen here.
The University at Buffalo (UB) School of Dental Medicine has received a $550,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to provide dental care to individuals who are homeless, as well as underinsured families in Western New York.
These are populations who were and are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding will provide nearly 100 days of free dental care, including individuals who are homeless. It will also support the delivery of nearly 3,000 dental visits to uninsured and underinsured children at more than 30 elementary schools.
The grant will fund the delivery of oral health counseling and treatment to hundreds of families receiving medical care.
The care will be delivered through the UB School of Dental Medicine’s two state-of-the-art mobile dental clinics, each outfitted with an X-ray unit, sterilization center and more.
The mobile clinics, staffed by UB dental faculty, staff and students, will provide students with experiential learning opportunities caring for vulnerable populations in the region and may encourage them to work in underserved settings.
“The lack of access to dental care was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in Western New York,” said Stephen N. Abel, Senior Director of Community and Professional Initiatives at the UB School of Dental Medicine.
“This is particularly true among school-aged children and the homeless. It will greatly assist the School of Dental Medicine outreach programming in identifying and reaching those most in need of our services to prevent dental disease.”
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation provides funding to enhance access to affordable, quality health care and to address the unmet health care needs of communities across New York.
“As we look back at the compounding crises of the last few years, the health-related needs of vulnerable communities have only grown,” said Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Visa and Chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board.
“Our grantees have demonstrated tremendous resilience, creativity and dedication to serving those in need, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have such detrimental impact.”
Removing the barriers to dental care is an urgent issue in rural Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, where many residents are affected by poverty and a limited pool of providers, said Paula Fischer, Director of School-based Dental Programs in the UB School of Dental Medicine.
The new initiative would help remove barriers to care, such as the lack of insurance or transportation, by offering dental services – including cleanings, fluoride varnish applications, surgical procedures, oral hygiene instruction and nutrition counseling – to children in a UB mobile dental clinic stationed outside local schools.
“Most children are exposed to medical care at an early age, but not dental care,” said Ms. Fischer, also Project Coordinator for the UB Rural Dentistry Program. “Primary care medical providers have the opportunity to play an important role in helping children and their families gain access to dental care.”
The UB School of Dental Medicine has also forged a partnership with the Buffalo City Mission, which works to alleviate homelessness in the local community, to offer on-site dental care to complement the mission’s medical, behavioral and social services.
“Engaging with medical primary care workers and social workers within these partnering agencies will greatly assist us in managing and preventing dental disease,” said Ms. Fischer.
Here’s wishing that it will happen here, even in modest ways.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; Member, American Academy of Implant Dentistry and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com./PN
