Since the pandemic, school-based wellness centers have become a lot more popular. They’re places where students can get mental health support, first aid, and even doctor referrals.
Frick United Academy of Language in Oakland has taken this a step further. Now, after a three-year hiatus, their wellness clinic has brought back free dental care on Mondays. It fell dormant after the dentist previously working at Frick relocated to a different clinic.
Angelina Ceja, whose grandson Iván is a sixth grader at Frick, spoke with KALW through an interpreter.
"Iván doesn’t have to miss school," said Ceja, "and his parents don’t have to miss work to take him to the dentist. After his appointment, he walks right back to class. He also didn’t have to wait months to be seen."
The Alameda County Office of Dental Health decided to fund the program through the East Bay Agency for Children after a study showed that about half the kids in the district had tooth decay. About a third of them were untreated.
Dr. Charmaine Ng, chief of dentistry at Alameda Health System, says she wishes all schools had this. “Students have a right to learn in an environment where they are free of pain, free of dental infection,” she said, “so they could focus truly on learning, which is what they're there to do.”
Studies show that kids have better academic outcomes when their dental needs are met.
Since it reopened, only Frick students have used the clinic, but it’s also open to the public. When it was last open, about 20% of patients were from outside the school.
“That means parents that don't have access to care, maybe haven't seen a dentist in a long time,” said Ng. “Even community members in the neighborhood, siblings that are older from high school or younger from a grade school nearby, anyone can come and access the clinic.”
Ng says the dental clinic is an important gateway to other healthcare. A dental screening can often catch signs of other issues, like diabetes or heart disease. “If we notice that their blood pressure is through the roof and really elevated, we can actually help connect them to care.”
The clinic is open from 8:30 to 4:30 every Monday.
