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About the Founder |
Nicole M. McGrath, DDS, is married with 3 children. She has 16 years of general dentistry on her resumé. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College of Dentistry, in 1991, and completed her residency in general dentistry at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, NJ.
Dr. McGrath, known as "Dr. Nicole" to all of her Head Start patients, has been very active in the Montclair community. She conducts dental classes for organizations such as the Girl Scouts and local schools. She provides yearly workshops for Head Start children who attend the Montclair Child Development Center (ages 3-5).  She delivers hundreds of toothbrushes and dental activity booklets to over 300 Head Start children, and she treats all MCDC Head Start children (740 boys and girls) free of charge in her Montclair office. Regardless of time or day, she is always there to greet her little patients with a warm smile and big hug. In 2007, she celebrates her 15th year of treating low-income children in the community.
Dr. McGrath is a member of the American Dental Association, the National Dental Association, the New Jersey Dental Association, Societas Docta (a society of women with Doctoral Degrees), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. She is an active committee member of the Health Advisory Board of the MCDC.
MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER:
 I am dedicated to fighting for this cause: giving all children a chance to smile, eat a healthy meal, and focus on their education with confidence. This is the primary reason for starting this foundation. Too many times, I have treated low-income children with multiple cavities and abscesses in their mouths. As a mother of three, this scenario brings tears to my heart. There has to be a better way! These children are right here in our community, Montclair, NJ, and neighboring towns. Fifty-six million dollars is spent on Medicaid in New Jersey each year, yet only 1% of this is allocated to dental care. This is unconscionable! To make things worse, we face an alarming decrease in dentists that accept Medicaid patients. This results from the below-market reimbursement paid by the State of NJ. Where are these helpless young children to go? As the statistics show, most of these children end up with episodic dental treatment; some end up with no dentist care at all - until they land in the hospital, suffering from severe gum infections.
This year (2007) the State of Maryland lost a twelve-year-old boy; he died from an oral abscess that led to a brain infection! This young boy's Medicaid insurance had lapsed; his mother could not get help for him. She had no insurance! How can this happen in this day and age? Oral health is central to overall health. Too many innocent American children with dental problems go untreated! They are now suffering from the sad consequences of economic dental discrimination.
Our present administration uses the slogan, "No Child Left Behind". Well, Americans, we are leaving many children behind with no access to oral health care. Will you join us in the fight to turn this negative situation around?
I pledge to fight for these youngsters, and I ask you to join me as we give these wonderful kids a Dental Head Start in our society!
With faith, hope and charity,
"Dr. Nicole"
Philippians 2:4 - "Each of us should look not only to our own interest, but also to the interests of others."
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