RSDM Gives Veterans Something to Smile About

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine may soon be treating more U.S. veterans under an initiative designed to connect former military personnel with affordable dental care. RSDM was tapped to participate in VETSmile, a pilot program launched last year by the Department of Veteran Affairs. RSDM’s agreement is about to be finalized, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Michael Conte said. Through VETSmile, “veterans receive information that we’re a place they can go to receive quality, affordable dental care," Conte said. RSDM students will undergo training in trauma-informed care to ensure their sensitivity to treating veterans, he noted. RSDM won’t receive federal funding for services. Rather, veterans can become patients at the dental school in Newark or any of its three sites in South Jersey, Conte said. RSDM is able to charge fees well below standard dental practices, with third- and fourth-year students under faculty supervision and dentists training to specialize in a particular field of dentistry providing treatment, Conte said. Patients at the school’s sites in Galloway, Northfield and Somerdale pay on a sliding scale based on their income, he said. VETSmile’s aim is to expand veterans’ awareness and use of affordable dental care. New York University College of Dentistry and Zufall Health Center are also part of the pilot. “VETSmile is an opportunity for us to bridge the gap in veterans’ access to continuous, accessible and affordable oral care, which is crucial for their overall wellbeing,” said Roshni Ghosh, executive director of the Veteran Affairs Center for Care and Payment Innovation. With more than 450 dental chairs, RSDM has capacity to serve 300 veterans a month, Conte estimated. “We have the capacity, but we don’t know what the need is going to be,” he said.  RSDM will initially contact 100 veterans and expand from there, Conte said. In addition to receiving preventive oral care, treatment of disease and other needed procedures, veterans will learn about oral health to improve hygiene practices.

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