How We Began

In the United States, tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood and affects one in four elementary school children and two out of three adolescents. According to the US Department of Health, 2,900 children under the age of five were hospitalized for tooth decay in 2005 in New York State alone. Nationally, 51,000,000 school hours are lost to dental problems each year.

Sullivan County, where PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program (PRASAD CDHP) is located, is about two hours northwest of New York City. The 1,000-square-mile county has an average population of 73,000 for 10 months of the year, which swells to three times that size during July and August.

A survey conducted in 1995 showed that 75 percent of Sullivan County children from low-income homes needed immediate dental care. Through consultations with local health and school officials, it was determined that a school-based program was needed - one which could provide comprehensive dental services, including education, prevention, detection and treatment. By 1996, PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program had begun to provide that school-based program.

PRASAD CDHP
465 Brickman Road
Hurleyville, NY 12747
Phone: 845.434.0376 | Fax: 845.434.0377