Rhode Island will use $8 million from a new settlement fund to expand pediatric dental care in the state, WPRI reported March 17.
The funds derive from an $11 million settlement between a construction company and the state attorney general’s office that was reached last year.
The funds will be split between four organizations over a three-year period: Providence Community Health Centers, the Tri-County Community Action Agency, the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center and the Comprehensive Community Action Program.
Dental decay affects one in three kindergarteners and nearly half of all third graders in the state, according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. Additionally, nearly 40% of residents are under Medicaid, which is not accepted by many dental providers in the state.
