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NYU College of Dentistry Providing Oral Healthcare for Children from Migrant and Asylum-seeking Families

NYU College of Dentistry Providing Oral Healthcare for Children from Migrant and Asylum-seeking Families

MORE THAN 110,000 people seeking asylum have arrived in New York City since last spring—many of them families with young children These children are facing a range of challenges, from the trauma of a difficult journey to the United States to unstable housing and language barriers in their new schools One little-discussed challenge is poor oral health and a high prevalence of cavities

Research shows that refugee children experience many barriers to receiving dental care, including cost, different cultural norms and beliefs about oral health, difficulty navigating the healthcare system, and language barriers NYU Dentistry’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry has been working to remove these obstacles to provide a range of services to meet the oral health needs of children from migrant and asylum-seeking families in New York City—often where they already are Their approach is three-fold:

Assisting at outreach event in New York City school are Kamen Cheung, fourth-year dental student at NYU COD, and Lorraine Santana, Bringing Smiles Dental Enrichment Program intern

Outreach events. NYU dental professionals and students take part in outreach events to provide oral health education, toothbrushes, dental exams, and apply fluoride varnish to children’s teeth Thus far, they’ve provided dental exams and fluoride varnish to approximately 300 children and have shared oral health information and resources with approximately 1,200 families at Open Arms Resource Fairs at The Shed, a community event organized by the Department of Education to provide resources to families living in NYC’s temporary housing

School-based care. NYU Dentistry provides dental screenings and care in New York City public schools and Head Start centers School-based care has been shown to lower the barriers to dental care by bringing care to children In several high-need schools, including those with large numbers of migrant children, students are seen twice a year for cleanings, fluoride, sealants, X-rays and even filling cavities and extractions, serving as the children’s “dental home ” An estimated 200 children from asylum-seeking families are receiving ongoing dental care in NYC schools

Follow-up care at NYU Dentistry. Children who are screened at outreach events and those who are seen in schools but need more in-depth care that is best provided in a dental office are invited to schedule appointments at NYU Dentistry Care is provided at no cost to families, with funding from the New York City Council covering the cost of basic oral healthcare for children who are uninsured A grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation provides additional funds for dental care, as well as transportation to and from NYU, as getting children to appointments is a significant barrier to care

For many of these children, these interactions mark the first time they are seeing a dentist, says Dr Rose Amable, clinical assistant professor of pediatric dentistry at NYU and one of the dentists caring for migrant children both in schools and at NYU Beyond cleaning and fixing teeth, Dr Amable, a native Spanish-speaker, is often communicating directly with migrant parents to educate them about oral health and help them to get their children to appointments at NYU Dentistry.

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