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Nonprofit traveling tooth fairies asks Nashua for continued support after expanding school dental services
Summary
Traveling Tooth Fairies told aldermen it served more than 3,500 children over three years and treated about 1,500 students last year, and requested continued city funding to sustain and expand school-based preventive dental care that relies heavily on grants and charitable partnerships.
Representatives of Traveling Tooth Fairies described the nonprofit’s school-based dental program and asked the Board of Aldermen for continued support as part of a supplemental appropriation hearing. Cofounder Myra Nikitas said the program has provided preventive care to more than 3,500 children over three school years and that in the most recent year the organization served more than 1,500 students, placed roughly 7,500 sealants, applied about 1,500 fluoride varnish treatments, completed more than 630 minimally invasive restorations and used 370 silver diamine fluoride treatments to arrest decay without drilling.
“We provide evidence based preventative dental care to every child regardless of whether they have private insurance, Medicaid, or no insurance at all,” Nikitas said, asking the city to continue investment that leverages grants, charitable donations and volunteer hours. Aldermen asked why the request was not handled through the city's Community Assistance Committee (CAC) process; staff and several aldermen explained CAC recommendations are advisory to the mayor, charity gaming allocations are separate, and the city can consider better coordination of funding streams going forward. No final funding decision was taken at the hearing; staff said they would follow up with detail requested by aldermen.
