Many Kids Are Struggling To Get Dental Care, Bloomfield Nonprofit Says

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A good dentist can be worth their weight in gold. And that’s especially true for disadvantaged kids across America, many of whom struggle with tooth decay and other preventable dental diseases, a Bloomfield-based nonprofit says.

Later this month, the KinderSmile Foundation will be debuting a documentary that delves into a national “gap in access to oral health care” – as well as potential solutions. Learn more about the film and the services offered by KinderSmile here.

“We’re bringing attention to the need for broad access to oral health care and education, regardless of a patient’s means or zip code, and advocating for steps we can take to bring change,” founder and CEO Nicole McGrath-Barnes said.

According to the nonprofit – which provides “barrier-free” oral health education and dental care in Bloomfield, Newark and Trenton – dental disease is a troubling epidemic among low-income families in the United States.

The documentary, “Toothache: The Painful Truth about Oral Health Care Inequity,” will premiere at the Social Profit Center in Hamilton from 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21. The screening will include a panel conversation with local health and community experts featured in the film, followed by a cocktail party and live jazz.

The Partners for Health Foundation will sponsor another screening and panel discussion at the Clairidge Theater in Montclair from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9.

“We hope that New Jersey legislators will heed this critical public service message and advance policies to provide comprehensive oral health care for all New Jerseyans,” said Pam Scott, executive director at the foundation.

• See Related: This Bloomfield Senior, Dentist Is A 'Legend' In His Community

Michal Herman, the COO at KinderSmile Foundation, spoke more with Patch about the “deep inequities” that are plaguing kids across New Jersey and the rest of the nation.

“Poor oral health outcomes disproportionately affect lower income and marginalized communities because these communities lack adequate access to oral health care,” Herman said.

“The data paints a grim picture,” Herman added.

According to Herman:

“Dental disease is the leading epidemic among low-income families. Among young children, the prevalence of untreated decay is much higher for Black and Hispanic children than for non-Hispanic white children. Minority and low-income children are less likely to see a dentist than their counterparts, and twice as likely to have tooth decay at a young age, yet more than 25% of children living in poverty have not visited a dentist in the past year. Over 80% of the children living at or below the federal poverty level are at risk to suffer from dental diseases that are easily preventable. Only 22% of eligible New Jersey children receive preventive dental care. The AAPD reports that U.S. children lose over 34 million school hours each year due to dental problems. Children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain and more likely to have lower school performance. Unfortunately, lack of access to oral health care can lead to death, as in the terrible case of young Deamonte Driver from Maryland, who passed away after bacteria from an infection from an abscessed tooth traveled to his brain.”

Herman said there are several barriers that contribute to the “oral health epidemic” in lower income and minority communities.

The Surgeon General’s Oral Health Report concluded that although dental diseases are preventable, the following barriers can be big roadblocks when it comes to accessing oral health care, Herman told Patch:

• Lack of dental insurance
• Inadequate transportation
• Inconvenient hours for working parents
• Not enough willing professionals to accept children with Medicaid, those who are uninsured, those who are very young, or those with behavioral management needs

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