NYSDA Expands Outreach / Putting Smiles on Kids’ Faces

NYSDA Expands Outreach

NYSDA has extended its outreach to children without ready access to dental care with the addition of Marlyce James, M.Ed., R.D.H., CDA, who has been contracted by NYSDA through the Association’s Dental Demonstration Project.

Ms. James, who is studying to become a community dental health coordinator, is a professor at the State University of New York Erie Community College, where she is the department head of the School of Dental Hygiene. She is also a dental hygiene consultant and graduate assistant at D’Youville University in Buffalo as she completes her doctoral degree in Health Professions Education. She was recently appointed dental hygienist liaison for New York State through a collaboration with the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the National Center for Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety.

She will be working on outreach as follow-up to the Suffolk County Dental Society Give Kids A Smile event on April 29, connecting children seen at the event to dental health homes. Additionally, Ms. James will lead a project with Head Start, providing screening, referral and education to improve health literacy caregivers importance of preventative care.

Marlyce James

Tooth Fairy Arielle Melendez makes appearance at Give Kids A Smile event April 29, hosted by Suffolk County Dental Society at Long Island Aquarium. Ms. Melendez, a second-year dental student at Touro College Dental Medicine, is with Marlyce James, registered dental hygienist and certified dental assistant, who is following up with children seen at the event to direct them to dental health homes.

Betsy Bray, R.D.H., NYSDA Director Health Affairs and Dental Demonstration Project Director, meets up with Marlyce James at GKAS event. More than 130 volunteers from Suffolk County delivered donated dental care to nearly 200 children.