A free dental clinic in Youngstown, Ohio, has closed after Choffin Career & Technical Center paused its dental assisting program due to low enrollment, WFMJ reported Aug. 27.
The Choffin Free Dental Clinic relied on students in the center’s dental assisting program to provide free cleanings, tooth repairs, X-rays and dental kits to Youngstown City School students at no cost.
The program was paused earlier this month due to low enrollment. Sherry Cross, EdD, the director of adult education at Choffin, told WFMJ that only two students were registered for the 2026-27 academic year.
Rudolph Braydich, DDS, chairman of the Choffin CTC Dental Assisting Advisory Board, said the decision was made without consulting the advisory board and called the clinic’s closure a “great loss” to the community. The board has written to the Youngstown City School District superintendent and board of education president raising concerns about the program’s management and has not received a response.
Choffin’s dental assisting program is one of only two nationally accredited programs of its kind in Ohio. The advisory board has called for an “aggressive” enrollment campaign to reopen the program and the clinic in January 2027.
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