LYNN — State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) is advocating for $475,000 for ForsythKids to continue offering school-based access to oral health in more than 60 communities across the state, including Lynn.
This amendment was passed by the Senate and is awaiting approval from the House.
Crighton said in years past, this funding has gone so he is confident that some level of funding will be provided moving forward.
Every year, Crighton said the delegation prioritizes dental care in schools, saying this was something Mayor Thomas M. McGee always championed when he was a senator.
“I think people sometimes don’t realize how big an impact dental hygiene can have on a young person’s overall health and their ability to learn, to speak clearly, to get adequate nutrition and a good night’s sleep,” Crighton said. “All of these things can be greatly affected if they’re not having proper dental care.”
ForsythKids provides dental exams, screenings, and sealants at no cost to students whose families may not have insurance or can not afford the costs that coincide with dental care.
According to Crighton, one in four children have a cavity by the time they get to kindergarten, with tooth decay being the most common chronic childhood disease in the United States.
These issues can be treated, but Crighton said it’s about making the solution easier and more accessible to all kids.
The Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 as a dental infirmary for children in need. Now, ForsythKids treats more than 3,000 students per year, and 90 percent of those children fall below the poverty line.
Care is offered to underserved populations in Massachusetts at schools, day care centers, neighborhood facilities, homeless shelters, summer camps, and public events.
If a participant is covered by MassHealth or private dental insurance, Forsyth will bill insurance for services but there is no co-pay, fee, or charge to families or schools.
All children and young adults at each site are eligible to participate, even if they are uninsured.
ForsythKids said its “staff works to connect participants and their families to local dental clinics to establish a dental home, especially those identified with ongoing or urgent dental needs.”
More than 51 million school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illness, according to ForsythKids’ website, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children be seen by a dentist by age one, or when the first tooth comes in—whichever comes first.
Crighton said he expects to hear about the funding before July 1, which is the deadline for the House budget to be completed.
