"If you stay ready, you never have to get ready" is the motto that Dr. Lagina Bickham, Dental Director at the Dimock Center, lives by.  One glance around her meticulously organized dental clinic, and a quick inventory of all the programs and initiatives that she is involved with, and one thing becomes abundantly clear: Dr. Bickham takes this motto to heart.  And, it's proving to be an effective strategy.
 
A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Dr. Bickham always knew that she wanted to work in an environment where she could give back to the community and help those most in need. Soon after graduating from Tufts Dental School in 1992, Dr. Bickham moved back to her hometown and took a job at a private office.  However, when an opportunity to work with underserved populations in the Boston area presented itself, Dr. Bickham jumped at the chance.  She applied to the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program and was offered a dental position at Dimock Community Health Center.  Sixteen years later, Dr. Bickham serves as the Center's Dental Director.
 
When asked about the stories that that have affected her most, Dr. Bickham doesn't miss a beat. She talks passionately about patients who suffer from dental disease so emotionally and physically debilitating that they cover their mouths when they speak or smile. She recalls one patient in particular who, like many of us, had great anxiety about experiencing pain during treatment. The patient needed all of her teeth extracted because of severe periodontal disease. Working to ease her anxiety over the course of several appointments, Dr. Bickham happily reports that her patient seems like a completely different person post-treatment. When talking, she keeps her hands by her side, careful not to cover the smile she is now so proud to display. It is because of moments like these, that Dr. Bickham finds her work so rewarding. The gratitude displayed by her patients and the deep connections she has established with them continue to inspire and motivate her.
 
Dr. Bickham also understands that in order to increase access to dental care, individuals and families must be approached in a variety of ways. That is why when Bradford Washington, one of her dental students, came up with the idea of targeting underserved men at barbershops, Dr. Bickham gave him her full support. Barbershops are places where men go to socialize and therefore provide a unique forum for communicating a range of information, including how to access dental services. Through this initiative, barbers are given very basic information and become part of a referral system set up with the Dimock and Fenway Community Health Centers.  Once a referral is received from the Barbershop Oral Health Initiative, Dr. Bickham makes sure that the patient is seen right away. The hope is that these men will establish a relationship with a dental provider, and continue to seek preventive oral health services like cleanings on a regular basis.
 
This past year, Dr. Bickham also worked on a project with Dimock's pediatric department in which pediatricians and nurse practitioners are trained to apply fluoride varnish to children's teeth.  Dr. Bickham explained that many parents do not take their children to a dentist until they are three or four years old. By that time, many children have already developed early childhood caries, a preventable disease. The pediatric providers make an immediate referral to the dentist and a system is in place to ensure the child is seen in a timely manner. 
 
These are only a few of the many projects that Dr. Bickham is involved with at the Dimock Center. Through these programs and initiatives it is easy to recognize Dr. Bickham's strong desire to provide quality care and reach out to those in need.  She is always thinking of different ways to address the problems that constantly challenge community health centers, particularly as they relate to enhancing primary and preventive oral health services.