Dental aid proposed for abuse victims

A dental lab owner envisions a mobile unit that would travel the county giving domestic violence victims much-needed dental help.

By RYAN DAVIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000

When Pat Holihan looks at people, he first notices their teeth. And when the certified dental technician looks at domestic violence victims, he sees broken and battered teeth and a self-esteem to match.

"They need to get their self-esteem back," said Holihan, who owns Paradent Dental Lab in New Port Richey. "If their teeth are neglected, they don't want to go out in society and get a job."

Because many victims don't have money or a form of transportation to get dental care, Holihan began thinking of ways to help. He envisions a mobile dental unit that would come to Pasco County shelters and homes to provide free or inexpensive dental work for victims of domestic violence.

Holihan -- whose year-old business makes prosthetics such as dentures, crowns and partials -- is spearheading the effort to find the necessary volunteers and funding. He wants to put a dental chair inside an empty motor home and provide periodic service.

The concept of tending to such a specific need of domestic violence victims has been attempted by individuals, but a county-wide effort has never come to fruition, said Stephanie Walley, the executive director of the Salvation Army Domestic Violence Program in west Pasco.

None of the program's supporters knows of any such dental program elsewhere in the country.

Holihan continues to search for manufacturers, dentists, orthodontists and oral surgeons who would volunteer to provide dental care and supplies at cost or for free. He sees his role as the organizer who will use his connections in the dental industry to find donors. He also is working with state Rep. Mike Fasano in hopes of getting start-up state funding for the program.

Wednesday, while reading the newspaper, Holihan discovered his first victim in need of assistance: a 35-year-old woman whose boyfriend is accused of breaking her ribs and two of her teeth.

"Her teeth are still in her mouth," Holihan said, "but they're knocked back so far that she can't close her mouth."

A dentist has volunteered to do the work, Holihan said.

Program supporters said dental damage requires special attention because it can be expensive and the damage is obvious. While many abusers intentionally inflict damage that won't be seen, others aren't as calculating and leave demoralizing damage.

"A verbal argument comes from the mouth," Walley said, "so often in an explosive situation a fist will go to the mouth to shut up the mouth."

Because of the high cost of dental care, supporters of the program said, problems commonly go unfixed. An abusive man will often tell his partner that she's not worth the price of having her teeth fixed, Walley said.

Holihan will have a second meeting Aug. 29 with Fasano and representatives from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office; Sunrise of Pasco, a domestic violence shelter in Dade City; Salvation Army Domestic Violence Program in west Pasco; and Gulf Coast Community Care's homeless shelter in west Pasco. They plan to put together a proposal Fasano can take to the Legislature for funding, said Gregory Giordano, Fasano's legislative assistant.

The shelters and the Sheriff's Office would serve as referral agents for victims who need dental care.

Organizers said they hope the model could spread to other parts of the state and to other people in need of dental care.

"Pasco could really be a spearhead for the rest of the state," Walley said.

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