NJ opens first-of-its-kind free dental clinic for those in need
🔴 New Jersey’s first-of-its-kind free dental clinic has opened at Brookdale Community College, offering care to eligible Monmouth County residents.
🔴The clinic provides free cleanings, fillings, extractions, X-rays and radiology to low-income residents who do not have dental insurance.
🔴The clinic also will train the next generation of dental professionals as New Jersey faces a shortage of hygienists, assistants and dental radiologists.
New Jersey’s first-of-its-kind free dental clinic has opened, dedicated to providing services to Monmouth County residents only.
Located on the campus of Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, Parker Family Health Center provides free dental care to low-income county residents, who lack access to dental insurance, said Suzy Dyer, executive director of Parker Family Health.
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The clinic has been providing free medical care to Monmouth County residents for the past 26 years for individuals from 3 to 94 years old.
This includes primary care, and care in 14 specialties including neurology, pediatrics, mental health, gastroenterology, ophthalmology, cardiology, and more. Plus, blood work is free thanks to its partnership with Quest for Health Equity.
Free dental care now available to Monmouth County residents
Now Parker Family Health has expanded its services to include free dental care for residents such as cleanings, fillings, extractions, X-rays, and radiology, Dyer said.
The need is crucial. More than 31,000 Monmouth County residents are uninsured, and often delay care until conditions become emergencies. According to the American Dental Association, about 85,000 county residents between the ages of 19 and 64 lack dental insurance.
Adults 65 and older do not have dental coverage, largely because traditional Medicare does not include routine dental benefits, Dyer said.
“That is an additional 300,000 New Jersey residents who are on traditional Medicare, who lack dental insurance coverage,” she explained.
These gaps in coverage can contribute to worsening oral health. Oral health care is medical care. Oral health care is vitally important in terms of disease prevention.
Dyer said people can prevent disease by taking care of their teeth.
So, now that free dental care is being provided to county residents, hopefully more will pay attention to their oral health.
Who is eligible for the free dental clinic?
It’s for Monmouth County residents only, who are at 300% of the federal poverty level. So, for a single person, that equates to $47,880 annually, and for a family of four it’s $99,000 annually, in terms of income.
Residents must also be dentally uninsured.
Free clinic will help train New Jersey dental workers
In addition to free dental care, the clinic is also serving as a hands-on training site for the next generation of dental professionals.
There is a workforce shortage of dental professionals, especially hygienists, dental assistants and dental radiologists, Dyer said.
There are 352 hygienist positions open in New Jersey, with 50 currently open in Monmouth County, so this program is expected to help train and retrain skilled professionals locally while expanding access to care for underserved residents.
Brookdale College already has a dental radiology program on their campus as well as a dental assistant program. In addition, the school is creating a dental hygienist program, Dyer said.
She hopes that this model that Parker Family Health Center has set up for county residents will serve as a mode for more free dental clinics to open in other New jersey counties.
It’s all about creating a partnership between academia and medicine, Dyer said.
To find out more information about the free dental clinic in Monmouth County, visit here.
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