A team of dentists is making oral care a priority for the homeless

The eight chairs used for dental services at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless’ Stout Street Health Center have ample space for dentists to swivel around adult patients in dire need of fillings, dentures or crowns.

The pediatric care room, however, can barely accommodate the pediatric dentist, another employee and the parents of a child receiving care. Next to a wall with a fresh decal of a cartoon hippo brushing his teeth, a set of cabinets occupies much of the floor space, sticking out like a sore thumb.

The coalition’s dental services director, Dr. Carol Niforatos, would like to replace the cabinets with a slimmer storage system, a carpentry procedure she estimated at $10,000. It’s one of her pending goals for a clinic that sees patients during the week here and at two other loc