Funded Projects

Every Child Deserves a Dental Home

Project Year

2025

City & State

New Brunswick, New Jersey

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Oral/Dental Health

Program Description

"The Problem: Oral health is a vital aspect of children’s overall well-being, yet dental caries remains the most common chronic disease in children. National data reveals that 45.8% of youth aged 2–19 experience dental caries, with disproportionate prevalence among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black populations. Socioeconomic disparities further exacerbate these inequities, as caries prevalence decreases with rising family income. Locally, the “Healthier New Brunswick Community Survey” found that 13.2% of children in New Brunswick reported “fair or poor” dental health, exceeding the state average of 10.9%. Additionally, 51.4% of children had not visited a dentist, compared to the statewide average of 32.8%. These disparities highlight the urgent need for accessible, preventive oral health interventions, particularly for low-income, uninsured, and Hispanic populations.  Primary Setting: The project will be based at Saint Peter’s Family Health Center (“The How Lane Clinic”), located at 123 How Lane in New Brunswick, New Jersey.   Number of Children Affected: This project aims to benefit approximately 300–350 children.  Project Goals: A) Improve Oral Health Outcomes: The primary goal is to enhance oral health outcomes for children by addressing barriers to care, promoting oral hygiene education, and improving access to essential dental resources. This will include care coordination, preventive services, and timely referrals to dental professionals.  B) Improve Community Outreach: Strengthen community trust and engagement by conducting health fairs and mobile outreach events attended by residents, healthcare providers, and community partners.  C) Promote Oral Hygiene Education: Empower families with knowledge and tools to prioritize preventive oral health practices through tailored education and outreach efforts.  D) Increase Healthcare Professional Education: Enhance the oral health knowledge and skills of residents, attending physicians, and allied healthcare professionals to ensure effective screenings, preventive care, and referrals.  Proposed Interventions: 1.    Plan a patient and family-centered dental home (PFCDH). 2.    Conduct Focus Groups: Organize focus groups to identify barriers families face in accessing dental care, such as financial constraints, limited oral health literacy, and cultural factors. These insights will guide the design of targeted interventions. 3.    Educate Healthcare Providers: Collaborate with community experts and dentists to provide training sessions for healthcare providers on prevention strategies, dental hygiene, and conducting oral health assessments.  4.    Distribute Educational Resources: Provide families with starter dental kits, child-friendly educational materials (e.g., dental-themed coloring books), and banners promoting oral hygiene practices, such as “Brush, Book, Bed.” 5.    Host Mobile Health Units: Conduct quarterly mobile health unit events within the community to deliver preventive oral care, educate families, and distribute resources. These events will improve access to care and reinforce oral hygiene practices in a convenient setting.  Anticipated Outcomes: The project is expected to make a meaningful and lasting impact on the oral health of children in the community. By creating a dental home, it will reduce the long-term burden of dental disease, improve access to preventive care, and address oral health disparities. Families will gain the knowledge and tools needed to prioritize oral health, fostering lifelong habits that contribute to overall well-being. Healthcare providers will be better equipped to identify and manage oral health concerns, ensuring children receive timely and effective care. Additionally, the project’s outreach efforts will strengthen community trust, improve health literacy, and promote collaboration between families, healthcare providers, and community partners. Ultimately, this initiative will establish a sustainable and replicable model for addressing oral health needs in underserved communities. "

Project Goal

To establish a patient- and family-centered dental home within our clinic and improve community outreach to reduce childhood oral health disparities and promote preventive care through education, collaboration, and improved access.

Project Objective 1

Improve Oral Health Outcomes:  To enhance oral health outcomes for children in our clinic by addressing barriers to care and promoting oral hygiene education. We aim to improve access to essential dental resources by coordinating care, providing preventive services, and facilitating timely referrals to dental professionals.

Project Objective 2

Improve Community Outreach: This will be achieved by the health fair and mobile van outreach which will be attended by residents and other healthcare providers. This will improve community trust and promote education.

Project Objective 3

Increase Healthcare Professional Education: Enhance oral health knowledge and skills among residents, attending physicians, and allied healthcare professionals to ensure effective screenings, preventive care, and referrals.

AAP District

District III

Institutional Name

Family Health Centre, 123 How Lane, New Brunswick, NJ: Part of Saint Peter's University Hospital

Contact 1

Dhruv Parekh, MD

Contact 2

Chinazamekpere Aranonu, MD