Janice Deguchi
Last month, I was invited to speak on a panel for the Arcora Foundation, whose mission is to bend the arc of oral health towards equity. I was honored to share the stage with Arcora Foundation Vice President, Sunshine Monastrial, and my co-panelist, author and activist, Ron Chew to talk about our deep connection to South Seattle/Beacon Hill, and our experience and insights as community members as their Board of Directors considers their upcoming strategic plan.
When people are struggling with survival, oral health is probably one of the last things they’re thinking of. The majority of the children we see in our Head Start/Early Head Start program have never seen a dentist. Many of them have carries (cavities). For many immigrant families, oral health care is not a routine practice in their home country. The diet back home is not what it is in the US, with fewer processed foods, and much less sugar. Because so many of the families we serve don’t have a regular dentist, this spring we held a fun oral health event with our partner, Best Dental Health. We screened 427 children, and identified 26 with active concerns, and referred them for follow-up care.
I was grateful for Best Dental Help (visiting hygienists) that provided oral health assessments for my children because in the past I had difficulty finding a dentist that my 5-year-old and 3-year-old wouldn’t fear. I took my 3-year-old to see a dentist, but he refused to open his mouth and we had to leave because he was upset. The dental hygienist who came to Neighborhood House identified infections and helped my child’s anxiety around dentists. It was a lifesaver! ~NH parent
As someone who was born in the US, drank fluoridated water, had access to dental care as a child, I, and I’m sure many of us, take our oral health for granted. Not so for the communities we serve. My parents were children of immigrants, and their oral health consisted of infrequent trips to the dentist for extraction. I remember seeing my mom’s partials (false teeth), and thinking nothing of it. But had she had the oral health care that we all deserve, she would have had more of her own teeth!
One of the questions Arcora Foundation asked us to address is “what is health justice?” I shared health justice is accurate, timely information from trusted sources. Access to high quality providers and being informed and empowered health care consumers. Health justice is having the resources to prioritize healthy practices that will prevent issues later on. Did you know that in addition to providing a healthy diet, parents/guardians need to supervise their children’s tooth brushing until 8 years old? If parents/guardians are dealing with multiple stressors, working low paying jobs, it is so much more challenging to do this. We also know that oral health is linked to other health issues. Children with cavities can exhibit more behavioral problems. Adult oral health is connected to many other health issues like cardio vascular disease.
For years, we stationed Health Navigators at the Seattle World School health clinic. Students at Seattle World School might be seeing a doctor or dentist for the first time at the clinic. Students often had to complete multiple appointments to address oral health issues that took a back seat to safety and survival. Adults and older adults we serve have limited access to dental care, often having to rely on the once per year Seattle King County Clinic, or dental schools to be seen.
Arcora Foundation is working towards oral health equity for all Washingtonians. We are grateful for their leadership and partnership with us and so many other organizations across the state working for health justice.