This hygienist brings dental care to underserved kids in the Boston area

Action for Boston Community Development is holding its 2023 Community Heroes Celebration on Friday — an event honoring 18 people who are making a real and positive impact in the Greater Boston area.

The heroes range in professions and backgrounds — including everyone from educators, health professionals, artists, nonprofit leaders and parents. But they all are behind the same cause of helping those who need it the most.

Kathy Lituri is one of the 18 heroes.

Lituri is a dental hygienist and a faculty member at the Boston University Goldman School of Medicine, where she heads up outreach programs. One of those outreach programs is with ABCD, which Lituri and her team work with to ensure that children in the local Head Start program have access to the dental care they need.

"There are a lot of parents that have a hard time taking their kids to a dentist for various reasons," Lituri said. "They may not have the language skills, or transportation skills, or they may be new to this country, and maybe they haven't connected yet with MassHealth."

Those are all barriers that Lituri and her team help families to overcome, as they bring their services to 27 Head Start sites around the area. Head Start is a federal childcare program that is locally administered by ABCD.

Lituri's team recently expanded the age groups they are serving, and can do everything from exams, to fluoride treatments, to even fixing cavities — all at the childcare sites.

"I really love working with kids and working with parents and and starting early because most cavities can be prevented," Lituri said. "It's a matter of starting early with good habits or knowing what's best for your child."

The hygienist has been with Boston University since 1999, and before that, worked at Boston Children's Hospital, where she first was acquainted with the ABCD Head Start program. She was insistent on bringing that partnership to BU when she started with the university.

She said that she was thrilled and excited when she learned that she would be honored as one of the 2023 Community Heroes.

"If you can reach parents early and kids early, you can keep them cavity-free — but it takes some work," Lituri said. "[Head Start] really level(s) the playing field for the kids who are at a disadvantage for whatever reason — mostly economically."

“Kathy Lituri’s work providing oral hygiene services and education to ABCD Head Start children over the past 25 years is truly heroic and a wonderful example of servant leadership,” ABCD President and CEO Sharon Scott-Chandler said in a statement. Only Kathy would negotiate providing vital oral hygiene services to children in underserved communities into her position description upon accepting a new job offer.  This type of commitment and partnership embodies what ABCD is all about. I  am proud that she is among our 2023 Community Heroes.” 

The Heroes Celebration is happening at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Boston Marriot Copley Place. NBC10 Boston anchor Glenn Jones will emcee the gala.

Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC is set to participate in a keynote conversation alongside Tennessee State Rep. Justin J. Pearson. The event will also feature a performance by Lynn native Amanda Mena.

Here's a complete list of the 2023 Community Heroes:

• Sandra McCarthy
• Kien Lang
• Joanna Ruhl
• Maria Perez
• Huiling Zhu
• Kathy Lituri
• Emily Hodge
• Stephanie Voltaire
• Kathleen O'Brien
• Teri Groome
• RonAsia Rouse
• Diane Crump
• Jehu Leconte
• Ms. Alma Wright
• Victor Baldassari
• Ruth Rollins
• Letitia Bento
• William Watkins