(upbeat music) - Hi, I am Jacqui Tricarico, Senior Correspondent for "One-on-One," and so pleased to be joined now by Dr.

Jade Duncan, who's the Senior Vice President of Dental Services at Zufall Health.

So great to have you with us, Dr.

Duncan.

- So great to be here.

Thank you so much, Jacqui.

- Well, this is part of our overall series honoring our veterans, and really looking at ways that we can support our veteran community.

And I know you at Zufall Health, as well as our partners at the Delta Dental Foundation, are doing just that.

First, I wanna talk about access, or lack thereof, for dental care for our veterans.

Why is there such a gap?

- So, dental care has historically been excluded from the core health benefits in many of our public programs.

At the VA, Comprehensive dental services are limited to veterans who meet very specific eligibility criteria, such as service-related injury, prisoner of war status, or certain financial restrictions.

So the average veteran isn't eligible to receive any sort of covered care or any compared to dental services, unfortunately.

- So that leaves so many of our veterans not going to the dentist and getting dental health services for so many years.

And as we know, or I'll have you explain a little bit, the overall connection of dental health to our overall health.

How important is that?

- So oral health is directly linked to overall health.

So untreated dental disease is associated with heart disease, diabetes complications, adverse pregnancy outcomes, chronic pain, and infection.

We know the mouth isn't separate from the rest of the body, right?

So ignoring dental care leads to higher medical costs and poorer health outcomes over time.

And we've seen that over and over.

- So you all at Zufall Health, as well as the Delta Dental Foundation, created this event every year called "Smile for Our Heroes."

Talk about that event, and how many people are you seeing come in to look for the services that you're offering?

- So that event has been going on for quite a number of years, and it has been one of the ways we're able to help.

Right?

You know, we are an FQHC health center where this is our mission to do this, but it's expensive.

Dental care is expensive to operate as well as to receive, right?

So with our partnership with Delta Dental, we're able to have a one-day event where we're able to do pre-visits and post-visits for these veterans where they can come before.

So we're not just doing x-rays and cleanings; we are doing full comprehensive treatment.

We're talking dentures, crowns, root canals, bridges.

Right?

Something, you know, substantive for the veterans.

And so this year, we usually have it in a warm time.

So this year we're gonna have it on June 13th at our West Orange location with our community partners, especially Delta Dental, and so many other great vendors and partners that are gonna partner with us.

We'll have food, we'll have events where we'll have music.

We're gonna have a partnership with a Boy Scout group that's coming.

And so it's really interesting, and it's a very fun time.

- And it makes getting dental care a little bit more fun, which so many people don't love.

But it's this one-day event, but it's not just about that one day.

Because how important is it to follow up and follow through with some of these patients that you're seeing that need a little bit more of that extensive care you're talking about?

- So while the event is sort of like a linkage to us and our services.

Right?

And at that event, we continue to link them to anything that they need, not just oral health services, but we're able to help them get enrolled in insurances, check to see what they're eligible for.

So many of the veterans who may have met us at this event continue on with us insured, which helps them, you know, be able to have more, you know, control and power in seeking health without having to only be able to, you know, get free services whenever those are limitedly available.

- Can you give us an example of a veteran that you saw personally, or one of your colleagues, that benefited, maybe this was even like a lifesaving event for them to receive the dental care that they needed that they put off for 10-plus years?

- Oh boy.

I guess one of the best examples would be one of the veterans who received dentures.

Right?

Complete dentures.

So just imagine, you know, having to smile and no teeth, right?

You know, the whole facial structure droops.

Right?

And you're not able to eat, you know, you're not able to get your nutrition.

You know, so we did have this one particular veteran who was able to receive dentures, and his feedback was it changed his life.

Literally changed his life.

So we aren't just, you know, giving free services, we're changing lives.

And I think this is a very important work that we do.

- You really are.

And what do you feel needs to be done more on the state and federal level to make sure that our veterans are getting the access to care that they so desperately need, and that dental service isn't just something that's on the wayside, but first and foremost in their healthcare through the VA or other services?

- Yeah, I would like to see dental care be treated as essential healthcare, primary care, right?

Across all federal programs.

This includes expanding VA dental benefits to all veterans in general, fully integrated adult dental coverage in Medicare and Medicaid, and investing in community-based preventative care programs.

You know, community health center funding, voting on that, voting yes.

And expanding that.

And those of us who are primed and able to meet the veterans where they are can do that.

- Dr.

Duncan, why is this such a calling for you?

You can just see how passionate you are about this work that you're doing.

- Well, dentistry is my life, right?

I've wanted to be a dentist since I was three years old.

It's all I've ever wanted to be.

This has been the only thing that I've been passionate about at this level.

And to be able to serve in this way, it's a calling, right?

You know, so it's something that I have to do.

So I wish I could have a better explanation, but I have to do this work.

- Well, your passion is creating such important change.

So thank you so much for the work you and your colleagues are doing at Zufall Health.

And thank you for taking the time to tell us a little bit more about the programs that you're offering.

- Thank you so much, Jacqui.

- Thank you, Dr.

Duncan.

We appreciate your time.

For Steve Adubato and myself, thanks for watching.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] One-On-One with Steve Adubato is a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Funding has been provided by Delta Dental of New Jersey.

Johnson & Johnson.

EJI, Excellence in Medicine Awards.

A New Jersey health foundation program.

Atlantic Health System.

New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program.

NJ Best, New Jersey’s five-two-nine college savings plan.

PSE&G.

The Center for Autism And by The Fund for New Jersey.

Promotional support provided by NJBIA.

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.