The Traveling Tooth Fairies Dental Initiative is emerging as a beacon of hope for children in Nashua, New Hampshire, providing crucial dental care where it is most needed. This innovative program, designed to offer free cavity prevention services and dental referrals, targets elementary and middle school students who might otherwise lack access to essential oral health care. Spearheaded by public health dental hygienists Myra Nikitas and Mary Duquette, the initiative exemplifies dedication and ingenuity in addressing community health needs.
The initiative was inspired by alarming statistics from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, which revealed that Nashua had one of the highest rates of untreated dental decay among school-aged children in New Hampshire. This troubling data, coupled with firsthand experiences of treating children with significant dental issues, drove Nikitas and Duquette to act. They aimed to enhance dental care accessibility for those most in need.
Nikitas, reflecting on the program’s inception, emphasized the personal significance of the mission: “Hearing those statistics was disheartening, especially because it’s where I live. Our goal is to provide essential care to these children. Having benefited from a similar school-based program myself, I understand the profound impact it can have.”
In response to the need for sustained support, Nikitas and Duquette established the Traveling Tooth Fairies as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This new status allows them to secure funding, conduct fundraising efforts, and forge partnerships with other organizations to maintain the program’s momentum. The initiative, initially a federally funded pilot project set to conclude in June 2024, will now continue through June 30, 2025, thanks to the nonprofit’s successful funding efforts.
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