On a recent Sunday afternoon, Dr. Rosie Wagner, a general dentist in Somerville, opened her practice doors with a mission to help stop the spread of COVID-19. That day, she and several volunteers, administered 125 second-dose vaccines to children ages five through 11.

In March 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services authorized dentists and dental students to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. This authorization led to the concept of dentists as vaccinators, an idea that Dr. Wagner brought to reality in her practice starting in October.

“The idea works because dentists often create longstanding relationships with patients,” shared Dr. Wagner, a member of the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) since 2011. “As providers at a community level, we sometimes treat generations of families of varied ages and differing backgrounds. There is a level of trust and comfort we have with our patients.

“People also attend dental appointments more frequently than other medical visits, and the dental office is a quieter, more streamlined setting than many retail pharmacies or large vaccination sites,” Dr. Wagner continued. “Several patients commented that they were unable to schedule an appointment at another location and had no other way of getting their vaccines before our office began offering them.”

Since October, Dr. Wagner and her team have vaccinated more than 250 patients and community members. Vaccine clinics, of which she has held five in the last three months, are open to the entire community. On most days, she administers COVID-19 boosters and pediatric flu vaccines to whichever patients are scheduled for dental appointments that day, if they wish to receive them. If extra doses are available, it is publicized through a text message chain sent out to people on a waitlist created by Dr. Wagner’s team. To find out more about the availability of vaccines or upcoming community vaccination days, follow Dr. Wagner’s practice, Smiles by Rosie, on Facebook @SmilesByRosie. You can also email her directly for more information at drwagner@smilesbyrosie.com. If you are a dentist interested in becoming a vaccinator, go to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for more information.