- We're pleased to be joined by Dr. Jade Duncan, who's Director of Dental Services at Zufall Health.

Good to see you, doctor.

- Good to see you too, Steve.

Thanks for having me.

- It's our honor and pleasure.

We're gonna put up the graphic, the website for Zufall Health.

Describe Zufall Health for everyone.

It's a very important organization doing really important work, please.

- Yes.

Zufall Health is a federally qualified health center in New Jersey.

We're in seven counties, and we have been around for just over 30 years.

I think this year will be our 33rd year of existence.

Zufall is here for our community.

We started as a volunteer clinic at one site, and now we're here.

- Yeah, and the dental services aspect of this, the oral health aspect of this, so incredibly important.

Talk about it, please.

- Yes, we believe oral health is primary care.

It's just as important as every other doctor visit that you have.

And at Zufall, we really do integrate care.

So when you come for medical, dental, we're all in the same location.

So that really makes it very convenient for our patients, and we really do value the importance of dental health in knowing that it can impact every other part of your body, and it's very significant.

- Doctor, talk about that.

We've done a lot of programming around oral health, and that whole description, it's not just oral health, but there are so many other health issues, medical issues, connected to our mouth.

Could you give us a couple of examples to make that more real for people.

- Absolutely.

So the mouth is literally the starting point of everything in your body, right?

But most importantly, the research has been happening around periodontal disease and heart disease as well as diabetes.

And we found that people who have uncontrolled diabetes, it presents in their mouth.

Some of the first signs of uncontrolled HIV when they go into AIDS status, it's shown in the mouth.

Signs of possibility of heart disease, again, starts with the plaque that builds up in the mouth and that could travel anywhere.

But most important thing, too, to note is teeth infections.

I think a lot of people just think they have a toothache, and it's not a problem.

It's connected to every single part of your body.

They're connected to your lymphatic drainage system, that those bacterias can go to any portions of your body.

It can cause heart disease.

We've had a big case in Washington, DC about maybe 10, 15 years ago, the Deamonte Driver case, where he got a brain infection, and he died because of an untreated tooth ache.

So yeah, it's a big deal.

- Doctor, access to quality, credible dental care for those of us who sometimes may take it for granted for ourselves, for our families, for our children, that is not the case in a whole range of communities.

Talk about it.

- It is not the case.

We have countless members of our community, especially here in New Jersey, and all over the country, where access to care is very difficult.

Not every state has a dentist office around every corner, but also not every state does as much as New Jersey does to make sure that there's affordable care, or access to affordable care, for a lot of these patients.

What happens is most insurance companies do not have dental for most of these, you know, underemployed individuals may not afford to pay these insurances.

So a place like Zufall is really, really important.

- For Zufall, I mean, for us, we're a nonprofit, grants, support financially from the corporate and foundation community is how we survive and do what we do.

How do you at Zufall?

- Oh, our partners have been phenomenal.

One of our biggest partners, Delta Dental, has been tremendous in supporting our efforts.

We have so many different community partners from private funders who have just been giving of everything that they can to support our efforts.

Delta Dental has been really supportive of two of our biggest endeavors, our Smile for our Heroes event, which offers free services to our veterans, as well as our dental assistant school, which also helps create access to the workforce to really help us solve some of these barriers to access the care.

- And to disclose, Delta Dental and underwriter of our healthcare programming, real quick on this, there's a shortage of dental assistance.

Correct?

- Oh, yes.

- What's happening in that area, please?

- That is a national problem, Steve.

So you can throw a rock at any dental practice, and they will tell you they are having a really hard time finding dental assistance.

I'm not sure.

- Well, what happens when that happens?

I'm sorry to interrupt that.

When that happens, what is the impact on dental patients?

- It's a huge impact, because as a dentist myself, I can't do anything without a dental assistant.

Dental assistants are the heart and life of a dental practice.

They keep everything moving.

They're in charge of everything from infection control, from sterilization, not just what you see them do side by side with your doctor, but they keep that office really happening.

And without an adequate amount of dental assistants available, it limits the amount of patients you can see, so that cuts down access, and it also limits the quality of care you can offer 'cause there are some procedures you just can't do without help.

- And what's happening in that regard to increase the number of, or the pipeline, if you will, of dental assistance?

Please, got a minute left.

- Yes.

Yes.

Well, at Zufall, we have a dental assistant program where you are trained on the job.

You come with no experience, no clinical experience necessary.

And we will teach you from day one how to become a dental assistant.

- Before I let you go, you love what you do as a dentist, as the director of Dental Services at Zufall Health because?

- Because I'm needed, and it's necessary.

And people need help, and I'm here to offer that.

- That is Dr. Jade Duncan.

She's the director of Dental Services at ZuFall Health.

We've had the website up for Zufall throughout this segment.

Find out more about the work they do.

They are a not-for-profit organization providing access to quality, affordable healthcare to all communities who experience barriers regardless of one's financial ability to pay.

Thank you, doctor.

We appreciate it.

- Thank you so much, Steve, for having me.

- You got it.

Stay with us.

We'll be right back.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by New Jersey Institute of Technology.

NJ Best, Delta Dental of New Jersey.

PSE&G, The North Ward Center.

The Fidelco Group.

The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

Wells Fargo.

And by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Promotional support provided by NJ.Com.

And by Insider NJ.

Hey, kids, PBS Kids and Delta Dental want you to have a healthy smile.

So here are some tips for you to remember.

Number one, eat plenty of crunchy fruits and vegetables.

Number two, brush your teeth after eating sugary snacks or drinking sodas.

And number three, drink lots of water to wash away food particles.

When your teeth are happy, all of you is happy.

From PBS Kids and Delta Dental.

Have a healthy smile.