Virtual Screening and Panel Discussion featuring Toothache: The Painful Truth About Oral Health Care Inequity

On Tuesday, April 1, at 7 PM, KinderSmile Foundation, Montclair Public Library and Partners for Health Foundation will host a virtual screening of the award-winning documentary film: Toothache: The Painful Truth About Oral Health Care Inequity. The screening will be followed by a discussion with experts about efforts to improve oral health in New Jersey moderated by Mary Otto, author of “Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality and the Struggle for Oral Health In America.”  

Impact of Oral Health

“Often overlooked, oral health affects overall health, mental health, school absenteeism, school performance, and, eventually, employability. We created the film to highlight just a few of the stories that we see every day in our Dental Homes. Patients from marginalized communities lack equitable access to care. As a state we are failing our children, and we need to do better!” said Dr. Michal Herman of KinderSmile Foundation in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

The film explores the oral health disparities that public health dentists see each day. It details some strides that New Jersey has taken, and lists necessary resolutions to expanding access to oral health care.

Through meaningful, sometimes heartrending conversations with families, staff, public health advocates, and New Jersey stakeholders, Toothache exposes the gap in access to oral health care and outlines a roadmap of innovative solutions for a healthier future for marginalized communities, bringing attention to the need for change, and advocating for a call to action.

Panel Discussion

Following the screening, an esteemed panel of experts will discuss ongoing oral health access issues, and highlight the positive changes in oral health policy in New Jersey that have resulted from advocacy efforts linked to Toothache. Moderator Mary Otto, a Washington, DC-based independent journalist, will be joined by these panelists: 

• Dr. Michal Herman, Chief Operating Officer, KinderSmile Foundation
• Nashon Hornsby, Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Community Health Services (CHS), New Jersey Department of Health 
• Dr. Nicole McGrath-Barnes, Founder and CEO, KinderSmile Foundation
• Linda Schwimmer, President and CEO, New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute

Toothache was named the Best Home Grown Documentary Feature at the Garden State Film Festival; Best Medical Documentary Feature at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival; and Best Feature Length Documentary at the DC After Dark Film Festival.

“This event will provide information, support and visibility to families in our community who face dental health inequity,” says Montclair Public Library Director, Radwa Ali. “We’re glad to join forces with Partners for Health and KinderSmile to address this significant, often overlooked issue.”

Pam Scott, Executive Director of Partners for Health adds, “Acknowledging the serious health consequences of a lack of access to oral health care for children is a vital first step in advocating for change. We are proud to collaborate with KinderSmile Foundation and Montclair Public Library to create the space for this important discussion.”

Registration is required for this FREE event. Click here ( to register and to learn more. Or register at tinyurl.com/ToothacheFilm.

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