RSDM Gets Nearly $2 Million for Collaborative Plan to Help Patients in Newark

RSDM received $1.75 million in federal funding this month for a program that will place dental students at community-based health clinics in Newark to work with patients and students from other healthcare fields.

The five-year proposal aims to increase oral healthcare for thousands of underserved residents, who have little to no access to treatment and preventive care.

“Even though oral diseases are considered the most prevalent health conditions in the nation, many vulnerable populations go without adequate treatment,’’ according to Dr. Kim Fenesy, senior associate dean of academic affairs, who is the project’s principal investigator. “Access is constrained by limited provider capacity, proximity and availability.’’

In Newark, nearly 30 percent of residents live below the federal poverty level and nearly half of the city’s large population of elderly residents lives with a disability.

The grant, from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), will allow RSDM students to collaborate in on-site teams with students from the Rutgers schools of nursing, medicine, social work, pharmacy and health-related professions.

Students will work at city healthcare centers that have no oral healthcare professionals, providing dental screenings, patient education and training other students to spot signs of tooth decay and gum disease. They will also demonstrate hygiene therapies and preventive care methods, such as applying fluoride varnish to protect against cavities.

An important goal of the project is not only to keep residents healthy and hone the knowledge of RSDM students but to integrate oral health with other types of patient care, said Fenesy.