College of Dental Medicine Lasting Impressions Magazine

COLLEGE OF DENTAL MEDICINE © 13 The patient receiving dental services from Sanket Rathod, a first-year CDM Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) resident, had been through unspeakable horrors as a victim of human trafficking. Typically, the sound of the drill and the feeling of needles during dental treatment cause anxiety for many people, let alone a human trafficking survivor, noted Rathod, who has treated several survivors. “These survivors have already lived in fear for most of their lives,” he said. “Providing dental services that sound scary was the challenging part of the entire treatment process.” Rathod put into practice the training he received through NSU’s CREATE (Coalition for Research and Education Against Trafficking and Exploitation) program. “Despite all they have been through, these survivors show so much concern for others. I never expected that,” he said. “Many have not been able to go to the dentist. They show a lot of appreciation and are thrilled to finally be able to get their dental issues taken care of.” Two Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences professors—Brianna Black Kent, Ph.D., program director and interim chair, and Sandrine Gaillard-Kenney, Ed.D., assistant dean—founded CREATE in January 2015. The program is headquartered at NSU’s Miramar Campus. Human trafficking can encompass prostitution, child pornography, bonded labor, domestic servitude, and organ trafficking. “Most trafficking victims come into contact with a health care professional who, in not knowing the signs of trafficking, might view the person as a victim of interper- sonal violence,” Kent said. Funding from the Community Foundation of Broward has enabled Kent and Gaillard-Kenney to raise awareness BY CAROL BRZOZOWSKI storing confidenc CDM S TUDE N T S T R E AT SU RV I VOR S OF HUMAN T R A F F I CK I NG