By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Dr. Donald Cassidy Jr. has been named an Oral Health Hero by the Maine Dental Access Coalition.
“Dr. Don Cassidy, an orthodontist with offices in Presque Isle and Houlton, answered the call when the Dental Home Initiative was launched two years ago. This initiative is part of a national effort to find more dental homes for children in Head Start,” said Sarah Shed, spokesperson for the MDAC.
Shed said all children should see a dentist beginning at age one and that all Head Start children are required to get a dental exam within the first 90 days of enrollment.
“This has been problematic for two reasons: many general dentists are not prepared to see children as young as one and many Head Start children have a difficult time getting into a dentist near them,” said Shed.
Although Dr. Cassidy is an orthodontist, and unlikely to work directly with very young children, Shed said he understands the need for all children to have access to a dental home.
“He made a commitment to keep the Initiative on behalf of the Maine Dental Association. This means he will continue to work to connect Head Start children with general dentists and to work in collaboration with Head Start and MaineCare staff to support families in getting oral health services for their children,” said Shed.
Cassidy, an orthodontist for over 19 years, said he was inspired by his father, Dr. Donald Cassidy, who served as a dentist in Fort Fairfield for almost 40 years.
“He took most of the Head Start kids in the area. He really loved the program,” said Cassidy.
Cassidy considers himself a “facilitator,” matching dentists with youth in need of dental care.
“My part in it is in trying to find dentists (able and willing to take new patients who are children). There are dentists who want to help and kids that need it,” said Cassidy, noting the lack of adequate youth dental care “is one of the biggest problems we have.”
Access to providers is more than a monetary issue, according to Cassidy.
“When kids have dental appointments, the problem often is it’s hard to get them there. We’re working on new strategies to get around that, including portable equipment to go to Head Start centers, with release forms provided for parents to sign,” he said.
Through such programs, Cassidy said it would be possible to see 16 children at a time instead of the traditional one-at-a-time dental office visit.
“Part of the problem has been MaineCare reimbursement only covers 30 to 40 percent of costs, while office overhead is closer to 60 to 75 percent. As professionals, dentists find it difficult to open their doors to all MaineCare patients,” said Cassidy.
At least one facility in the County, St. Apollonia Dental Clinic, located in Presque Isle and under the direction of Dr. Norma Desjardins, offers expanded service to youth in need.
“St. Apollonia’s is accepting 98 percent of MaineCare clients. They’ve been a great help in getting access to care,” said Cassidy, noting because of this, “nearly 100 percent of the Head Start population in Aroostook have dental homes.”
Cassidy said he and others in the dental field are working to bring more dentists to the area.
“In Aroostook County we actually have eight students in or who have been accepted to dental school. In the last six years, we’ve had eight new dentists arrive in the County, while three left, for a net gain of five,” said Cassidy. “Access is getting much better.”
“The access issue is improving every year,” he said.
“As an orthodontist, the whole thing doesn’t affect me as much. My part is organizing and facilitating. I work through the Maine Dental Association through their project to ensure Head Start kids have dental homes,” said Cassidy.
Cassidy said anyone wanting more information should contact ACAP’s Head Start division at 764-3721.
The Maine Dental Access Coalition annually recognizes Oral Health Heroes, people and programs that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and a strong commitment to improving the state of oral health in Maine through oral health advocacy, organizing and service. Cassidy joined several other honorees recently at a ceremony held in Augusta.
