Oral health is just as vital to the health of homeless New Yorkers and their path to permanent housing as all other forms of care. This may sound obvious. However, when dealing with conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and substance use disorder – to name a few – it’s easy to overlook dentistry.

At CFH, we understand this importance, which is why we offer a variety of oral health services. However, the locations in our network that are equipped to deliver oral health services are limited. Or at least they were until early 2021.

Portable Dentistry Kit – A New Initiative

Early last year, we received a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to enhance our existing dental programs. Specifically, the funds allowed for the introduction of a portable dentistry kit.

Expanding on the CFH mission to make high-quality health care more accessible, the portable dentistry kit expands access to care. Primarily, it eliminates the transportation barrier by placing services close to where potential patients live.

It also makes services available to communities that may not have been able to afford them otherwise. In fact, several patients cited the general cost of services as their main reason for not previously seeking services.

Like all CFH services, this one is available to all regardless of his or her ability to pay. Each site’s health care team as well as CFH Peer Outreach Specialists and the Population Health team, work with potential patients to ensure they know there is no cost to them. Additionally, they alert them to the availability of these services when the kit arrives at their site, reducing the barrier to care even more.

The Results

So far, portable dentistry has been implemented in four sites. Three are in the Bronx and one is in Manhattan on Wards Island. Two of the sites in the Bronx serve families.

As of this writing, over 160 individuals have received care, a third of which were children and youth. What’s more, more than 150 of those patients are new to CFH dental services.

Services delivered include cleanings, fluoride, small fillings, and sealants.

Moving forward, we hope to more than double the number of patients served and expand the service to more sites.

“We are on to something good.”

Of course, the portable dentistry concept would not be what it is today without its creator, CFH Dentist, Dr. Mark Makiling. Dr. Makiling has been with CFH for more than 3 years and has always championed delivering oral health services to those in need.

“I am always happy to help people who aren’t able to see the dentist,” said Dr. Makiling. “And I feel like we experienced so many patients who either had never been to a dentist or hadn’t in a long time.”

One such experience that made a significant impact on Dr. Makiling involved a single mother and her three sons.

“They had all never been to the dentist and were terrified,” he said. “The first son reluctantly got into the chair and held his mother’s hand tight. I talked him through everything we were going do and he slowly began to trust me.”

Happily, there was nothing dire affecting the youngster and Dr. Makiling was able treat him and educate the family on proper dental hygiene.

“I hope that now moving forward, they won’t end up like so many emergency patients I see because no one took the time to teach them,” Dr. Makiling observed. “And my favorite part was that by the end of seeing the first son, the two brothers were fighting about who got to go next.”

“If I can change the view of the dentists for these kids and help them maintain their health for the rest of their lives,” he continued. “Then I know we are on to something good.”

Future Expansions

The programs initial success and progress is heartening. Dr. Makiling has already expressed his ambition for its future.

In addition to implementing portable dentistry at more sites, there are plans to do more outreach, invest in technology for outreach, and purchase additional dental equipment.

This program exemplifies so much of what it means to deliver solutions to homelessness. If you would like to do your part in supporting those solutions, consider visiting our donation page. Any and all amounts help!