Dr. Suchitra Nelson is an epidemiologist who has worked at the School of Dental Medicine since 1991. She is also the Director of the DMD-Masters in Clinical Research dual-degree training program, one of few such training programs in the dental schools nationally. Her research interests are in the area of oral health disparities with the main goal of reducing disparities in poor, minority, and special needs children and adults.
The Department of Community Dentistry is the link between the School of Dental Medicine, the greater Cleveland community and beyond. The mission of the Department of Community Dentistry is to reduce disparities in oral health care for minorities and the underserved through education, research, and service. We provide high quality oral health education by exposing dental students to the needs of underserved children/adults and the communities in which they live through our Sealant and Geriatric programs. The Department is strong on community-based oral health disparities research in children and adults with funding from NIH, PCORI, and Foundations. Several innovative clinical trials are ongoing testing the effectiveness of non-surgical treatments in older adults, and multi-level interventions in primary care settings for children and adults. The Department’s service to the community includes outreach activities such as oral health education, dental exams, preventive treatments, and a geriatric dental van program. The Department also maintains a dental public health residency program.
Geriatric Dentistry Program
With the use of a 38-foot-long mobile van and mobile dental operatories, the Geriatric Dentistry Program - Lifelong Smiles' mission is to deliver comprehensive dental care to the elderly population in area adult day care centers.
Students are engaged through didactic instruction in topics related to geriatric dentistry, during the third year of dental school. As part of students' fourth year curriculum, they have a clinical geriatric rotation in which they provide comprehensive dental care, assess patients through interdisciplinary training, and attend patient rounds with a geriatrician.
The program is/was supported by The First Energy Foundation, The McGregor Foundation and several other foundations, along with the CWRU School of Dental Medicine. For more information about the program, please contact Dr. Suparna A. Mahalaha.