Mobile dental center to serve Long Island schools, shelters

A new 45-foot mobile dental care center focused on treating underserved children will visit 23 Suffolk County elementary schools, four family shelters and other sites in the coming months, according to the Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine.

The vehicle, funded with a $750,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, is equipped to provide a range of dental services and preventive care such as cleanings and fluoride treatments, officials said.

"Transportation in Suffolk County can be very difficult if you don’t have a car," said Dr. Rhona Sherwin, a dentist and director of pediatric dentistry outreach at the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine. "Access to care is a major issue out here."

The mobile dental care center, officially unveiled Friday, is the second one operated by the school. The first was launched in 2012. By 2023, it provided care to more than 12,000 patients across Long Island. From 2024 to 2025, it treated over 2,600 patients.

The new vehicle is larger, with more room for children and their parents and updated equipment including a panoramic machine, which can capture an image of a person’s entire mouth.

Aside from providing dental screenings and preventive services, young patients and their parents will be educated about the importance of regular checkups and oral health.

More than 1 in 10 children between ages 2 and 5 have an untreated cavity or cavities in their baby teeth, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2024 Oral Health Surveillance Report. Among children between 6 and 8, nearly 1 in 5 have an untreated cavity.

"This is a chance for us to give the parents or the guardians of children some advice about what their children's needs are," said Dr. Patrick Lloyd, a dentist and dean of the Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine.

"Maybe they don't brush their teeth as well as they should," he said. "Maybe they have cavities that haven't yet caused the child to feel uncomfortable. Maybe we see the adult teeth are coming in irregularly so we direct them to get an assessment."

Lloyd said the biggest causes of cavities among young children are candy and sugary drinks. Staff educates parents about the importance of brushing, especially after consuming these foods.

"A lot of what causes tooth decay is the amount of time the teeth are exposed to the sugar containing beverages or candy," he said. "It's that chronic exposure that causes the bacteria that initiate tooth decay to flourish."

Lloyd said a child's baby teeth are not just there to help them chew. They are important for maintaining the shape of the child's developing jaw.

"The sequence of how baby teeth are lost allows the adult teeth to come in a particular order," he said. "When that baby tooth is lost prematurely, it causes some of the adult teeth to erupt in an order that isn't consistent with making sure everything lines up properly."

Sherwin said some parents and even pediatricians mistakenly believe very young children don’t need to see a dentist.

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends children have regular clinical oral exams starting at 8 months.

Some parents "think at 3 years old, they [the kids] are too young to be seen," said Sherwin. "By the time they are 3 years old, if they have major dental issues, it’s kind of too late."