EIOH Receives Grant to Reduce Barriers to Dental Care
The University of Rochester Medicine Eastman Institute for Oral Health has secured a $225,400 grant from the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to help close one of the most persistent gaps in healthcare.
Oral healthcare is the number one unmet health need among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) due to a shortage of trained providers, transportation obstacles and decreasing Medicaid participation across the state.
Grant funding will restore one of EIOH’s SMILEmobiles to full operation, allowing providers to deliver preventive and restorative care at multiple locations throughout the Rochester community.
“By bringing the dentist directly to the patient, the program removes the transportation barrier that keeps too many people from receiving much-needed care,” said Holly Barone, RDH, MHA, EIOH Chief Operations Officer.
The grant also equips EIOH providers with technological tools that make care safer and more comfortable for patients with a wide range of physical, sensory, and behavioral needs. These tools include digital caries detection systems, portable X-ray units, painless injection systems, nitrous oxide sedation, bariatric benches, sensory chairs, endodontic motors, ultrasonic scalers, and advanced patient monitoring.
EIOH will also add four positions to its Fellowship in Special Needs Dentistry in 2026, training the next generation of clinicians in a specialty where demand far outpaces supply.
“Patients are traveling from 55 of New York’s 62 counties to receive treatment from the experienced specialists at Eastman Institute for Oral Health,” Barone added. “We’re grateful that the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities is partnering with us. This investment allows us to build a stronger system of care through advanced training in the behavioral and clinical management of patients with complex conditions.”
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