UB dental vans serve vulnerable populations thanks to Cabrini funding

Faculty and staff in the School of Dental Medicine (SDM) are acutely aware of disparities in oral health care, which particularly affect low-income children, rural residents and individuals who struggle with mental health, disabilities and housing.

The dental school has been making strides over the past two decades to rectify some of these disparities through its S-miles To Go program, which provides dental care through two state-of-the-art mobile dental clinics in rural and urban communities in Western New York. Services include exams, cleanings, fillings, sealants, fluoride treatments and extractions.

“Our dental vans provide very necessary services to people who don’t have access to care for multiple reasons, including finances and transportation,” says Paula Fischer, director of school-based and outreach dental programs in the SDM. “When you get into the rural areas, they may only have one pediatric dentist who takes state insurance.”

Funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation has made much of this work possible. Over the past four years, the foundation has provided the dental school with more than $2.1 million in grants. Most recently, it awarded $350,000 to the school for the 2024 calendar year to cover the cost of maintaining the state-of-the-art equipment within the units, contributing to salaries and expanding outreach.

“We are extremely grateful for the generous support we’ve received from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, including this most recent grant,” says Marcelo Araujo, dean of the SDM. “It will allow the dental school to continue its outreach to underserved populations throughout Western New York, which in calendar year 2022 totaled 11,194 procedures performed on more than 1,483 patients at 22 different sites.”

Altogether, the mobile units for the coming year will provide dental care to:

• Children in rural communities attending Title 1 schools.
• Parents and children living on Buffalo’s East Side.
• Low-income older adults.
• Homeless individuals.
• People with disabilities.

Each of these groups faces distinct challenges in accessing dental care. Providing the outreach through S-Miles to Go not only helps recipients of the care, but it also gives dental students valuable experience in treating individuals from low-income backgrounds, those with special needs and pediatric patients.

“In the rural areas we serve, our dental students gain a true understanding of the barriers to health care, including lack of transportation, providers not accepting state insurance and low health literacy, not to mention lack of fluoridation in the water,” Fischer explains. “Lack of community water fluoridation leads to higher rates of the infectious disease, dental caries, resulting in more cavities in children and adults.”

One of the newer S-miles To Go outreach programs stems from a collaboration with Hispanics United of Buffalo (HUB). Faculty and students who participate in UB’s Hispanic Dental Association provide care to more than 200 Hispanic seniors, offering culturally sensitive services. Another newer program is through Arc GLOW, which provides residential and programming services for up to 2,000 individuals of all ages with intellectual or development disabilities living in Genesee, Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties.

“UB has an annual requirement for our dental students to provide care to people with disabilities,” Fischer notes. “Through this outreach effort, they learn how to respectfully and confidently work with people with disabilities in underserved areas.”

Serving Arc GLOW holds a personal significance to Fischer. Her late uncle was a founding member of the agency and served on its board for 50 years. Her two cousins are served by the agency.

“I know the struggles my family has encountered trying to get care for my cousins,” she says.

A new partnership this year is with Gerard Place, a nonprofit facility located near the intersection of Bailey and East Delevan avenues in Buffalo that provides support programs for single-parent families and individuals experiencing homelessness. Most of these residents live in poverty and dental services are scant, Fischer explains. This outreach program is in addition to on-site dental care provided at the Buffalo City Mission.

“Among the homeless population, access to dental treatment is a particular problem with few transitional facilities offering onsite dental services,” Fischer says. “As a result, cases of tooth decay and periodontal disease are significantly elevated among this population. Oral health care is frequently cited as one of the greatest unmet health needs by those living in unstable housing situations.”

The Cabrini grant makes ongoing services possible for all of these vulnerable populations.

“We’re so grateful to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation,” Fischer says. “They’ve been pleased with the work we’re doing at the dental school and the concrete results of our mission: helping the underserved.”