FORSYTH DENTAL INFIRMARY FOR CHILDREN
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Mission Statement
The Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 through a philanthropic gift made by the Forsyth family to provide urgently needed oral health care to the disadvantaged children of Boston. Today, Forsyth is an internationally recognized independent research institution focusing on oral health and related diseases. Integral to our work and consistent with our mission, the ForsythKids mobile dental program provides preventive oral health care and education to children in need throughout the state.
About This Cause
Throughout its 110-year history, the Forsyth Institute has remained dedicated to improving public health through both direct care and research. Over the years, the Institute has provided care to more than 500,000 children while at the same time made significant discoveries in the oral health field, including the causes of dental decay and gum disease, as well as the protective mechanisms of fluoride. Today, the Institute has three main components: Treatment and Assistance: ForsythKids provides a broad range of treatment and education services to Massachusetts children (see below). Our strong community relationships help ensure that children receive the follow-up care they need. We also have an active dental practice that includes a research clinic for patient trials. To reach as many people as possible, we also provide oral health kits to children and families at several area food pantries. Research: As an independent research institute focused on oral health and related conditions, our researchers partner with both academia and industry. Our main research focus is the oral microbiome (the micro-organisms that live in the mouth, nose, and throat) and the role they play in the prevention of disease. Forsyth offers a series of seminars, symposia, and related activities. These events attract researchers and dentists from around the world. Our scientists also present at conferences across the United States and abroad. ForsythKids’ direct link to such world-class research helps us provide a high level of evidence-based care that makes our program a national model. In response to the current pandemic, we are working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative as an advisor and critical resource in the effort to develop and eventually deploy millions of accurate, rapid COVID-19 point-of-care tests used daily in schools, colleges, universities, and for testing underserved populations. Education: Our Forsyth Student Scholars program offers a hands-on, paid summer internship for underrepresented high school students from high-need communities interested in a career in the sciences. These students work in our labs under the direction of our scientists. They must report the results of their research to our faculty at a special seminar at the end of the program. In addition to our Forsyth Student Scholars Program, ForsythKids also provides oral health education in a variety of settings. We participate in community events, including food banks, back to school events, a Sunday afternoon program in Franklin Park Zoo for the families of foster children, and oral health fairs at the Boston Children’s Museum in January and March. The ForsythTeens program provides multiple lectures each year to high school students in Lynn regarding the connection between nutrition, general health, and drug and tobacco use, and oral health. This year, ForsythKids staff will start presenting courses to staff from the Department of Children and Families to educate social workers and nurses on important aspects of dental care that they can use to educate the families they work with. We continually seek to translate scientific discovery into public health improvement. ForsythKids is an essential component of that mission.