Grant Will Expand Access to Dental Care at Somerville High School

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.—The Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) Foundation recently awarded a total of nearly $100,000 in “Expanding Access to Dental Care” grants to six organizations in Massachusetts. The goal of the grants is to improve the oral health of residents of the Commonwealth by supporting sustainable programs that improve access to dental care.

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) has been awarded $15,000 to continue its work helping newly immigrated youth at Somerville High School access oral health care. Many of these students have no insurance coverage or are underinsured. They do not have access to preventive dental care and are unfamiliar with navigating the U.S. health care system.

CHA is a regional safety net health system committed to providing high-quality care to diverse and low-income populations from eight urban cities north of Boston. CHA has strong ties in Somerville and operates the Somerville Hospital, multiple primary care health centers, and the school-based teen health center at Somerville High School.

CHA was made aware of the oral health needs among newly immigrated youth at Somerville High School by a school volunteer working with the English Language Learners program, which identified an increasing number of absences due to untreated dental issues that had caused critical levels of pain.

The funding from the MDS Foundation will be used to address the wait list for dental treatment, which currently includes 34 youth in need of dental treatment, 156 cavities, nine root canals, five impacted wisdom teeth, eight crowns, and one extraction.

As CHA continues to work with the youth at Somerville High School during the current school year, the funding will support the expansion of CHA’s program to include local dental professionals, which will help increase the number of specialized treatments and decrease wait times.

CHA Foundation Chief Community Officer and President Mary Cassesso said, “The program uses Somerville High School’s vocational dental assisting program site to bring together the partnerships of The Forsyth Institute and Commonwealth Mobile Oral Health Services to provide onsite dental assessments and care. The ability to triage and refer patients to different providers is a creative solution to a problem of unmet oral health needs in a high-risk population.

“With the support of the MDS Foundation and this new grant, we expect to be able to expand access to restorative dental care to a larger population of teens who are currently being untreated; strengthen ties with local dentists; provide assessments, cleanings, and fluoride treatments at Somerville High School; and continue to advocate for the importance of access to oral health, which is integral to overall health,” Cassesso added.

MDS Foundation Chair Dr. Robert Lewando said, “Because of the generosity of MDS Foundation donors, we are able to assist organizations like CHA in its efforts to improve the overall health of many Massachusetts residents who ordinarily might not receive care. It is our hope that our Foundation will continue to grow so we can help sponsor additional services that will most benefit communities in need.”

Visit massdental.org/grant-recipients to learn more about the Foundation’s grant recipients.

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The MDS Foundation is the charitable arm of the Massachusetts Dental Society. The MDS Foundation is dedicated to directing its charitable resources to improve the oral health of Massachusetts residents. To learn more, visit massdental.org/Foundation.