San Diego County has hired Dr. Fadra M. Whyte as its new chief dental officer to help develop policies and expand programs that promote oral health, officials announced Wednesday.
Whyte has worked as a board-certified pediatric dentist at San Ysidro Health for the past 10 years. She is part of the faculty for the NYU Langone Pediatric Dental Residency Program co-located on Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, mainly treating children with special health care needs, according to a county statement.
“Dr. Whyte will be a valuable addition to our team,” said Dr. Eric McDonald, interim director of the county’s Health and Human Services Agency. “She brings a wealth of experience working with children and youth and will really help us expand our oral health outreach.”
Whyte earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh, and her doctorate of dental medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She then completed a two-year residency in pediatric dentistry in Brooklyn, New York and a master’s degree in public health from A.T. Still University.
She worked as a pediatric dentist in New York City prior to moving to San Diego.
“I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Whyte, who is joining the HHSA’s Medical Care Services department. “I am looking forward to expanding oral health initiatives to all San Diegans including youth, adults with special health care needs, seniors, and those in the county’s most rural areas.”
According to the county, Whyte will also work closely with the Local Oral Health Program, which is managed under Public Health Services. Its programs include the Dental Health Initiative/Share the Care program and the Child Health and Disability Prevention program, which “work with other public agencies, private groups and a network of pro-bono dentists to conduct no-cost or reduced-cost emergency dental care for children,” as well as organize dental health screenings and promote preventive dental care for children.
Last year, the Local Oral Health Program trained 23 pediatric providers about oral health and how to apply teeth-protecting fluoride varnish treatments; trained more than 80 dental providers who serve people on Medi-Cal to educate their customers about the importance of oral health; conducted annual training for new school nurses and health care staff across the country; and gave out 3,555 free toothbrush kits through school meal programs during school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
City News Service contributed to this article.
