Kinston Community Health Center to expand dental services

A $400,000 grant to Kinston Community Health Center (KCHC) aims to expand dental care in rural and underserved schools in Lenoir County.  KCHC is one of 10 organizations — including health departments, safety-net providers and nonprofit organizations — to receive grants from The Duke Endowment.

The grant enables KCHC to launch school-based programs that prioritize preventive services (such as regular cleanings) and address certain restorative treatments (including fillings) for school-aged children. This grant follows an initial $65,000, six-month planning grant previously awarded to KCHC. 

“Dental disease is 100 percent preventable when consistent measures are taken to ensure that children have access to oral health care,” KCHC Director of Community Development Anna Kinsey said. “We know that programs based in schools are effective, but have not been widely replicated in our region.

“Bringing these programs to Lenoir County will provide students with needed dental care in safe, convenient, and accessible locations.”

Addressing the access gap is critical in North and South Carolina, where more than 4.1 million Carolinians live in a designated dental professional shortage area. Children are particularly affected by the states’ oral health disparities.

Dental problems and pain impact performance at school and contribute to absenteeism. Research finds that dental pain has a similar, if not greater, impact on children’s quality of life than acute asthma.

“School-based programs are designed to remove barriers by meeting children where they spend much of their days and to help ensure they are healthy, pain-free, and ready to learn,” Stacy Warren, program officer for health care at The Duke Endowment, said. “We are proud to support Kinston Community Health Center in expanding dental care for children living in rural and undeserved areas with few or no treatment options.”

The grants are part of a multi-year initiative to address oral health in the state, with an early focus on school-aged children. To learn more about the School-based Oral Health Expansion Program, please visit https://dukeendowment.org/our-work/supporting-oral-health.