Arizona domestic violence survivors get dental care with help from community college students

Dental care can be costly and difficult to get, even in the best of times. And for survivors of domestic violence and abuse, it’s also often the last thing on their minds.

A group of students from the Mesa Community College dental hygiene program recently provided free assessments, fluoride treatments and oral cancer screenings to residents at a Phoenix domestic violence shelter.

Mayani Jinel, the program manager at the De Colores shelter, said that for some, it was their first time seeing a dentist. Because many abusers’ goal is to isolate and control their victims, she explained, getting dental care independently or safely can become almost impossible.

“Majority of the victims, the abuser controls everything,” said Jinel. “And some abusers, they don’t want the victim to see a medical provider because they’re jealous. And it’s that control over it. I can tell you about cases that they don’t even know how to make an appointment, because the abuser controls everything in the house.”

Jinel said that a big part of supporting survivors is listening for needs in areas that are sometimes unseen, like dental care access.

“Keep in mind that what for you is, like, something normal, something simple,” said Jinel, “for most people living in programs like this one, it means a lot.”

Jinel added that one concern for participants is keeping up with long term care – especially given how much it can cost.

A senior in the dental hygiene program, Alexa Valera recalled talking to Jinel about what happens next.

“This is an assignment that every senior student has to do,” said Valera, who was on the team of four who visited the shelter to provide care. “So every new class that comes into the program, I’m going to tell my program coordinator at the college that they would be interested in doing this with one of the groups, once a year. And we’re gonna try to get that going for them.”

In the near future, Valera said that’s where the second part of her group’s project comes in: They’re returning with information sessions, tailored to what participants asked about most.