Penn. dentists help man get kidney transplant

Jul 19, 2010

Several Pennsylvania dentists have stepped forward to offer $10,000 worth of treatment to a man whose dental problems have precluded him from getting a needed kidney transplant.

Alan Checca of Derry, PA, is in dire need of a kidney, but he is not allowed to be placed on the transplant list until his periodontal disease and other dental problems are treated.

Although his wife and son offered to donate a kidney, Allegheny General Hospital officials told Checca that he must first pass a dental exam verifying that he has healthy gums and teeth, according to a story in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Most hospitals have similar requirements before patients can get on transplant lists.

Checca's dental problems put his body at risk of rejecting the organ, and he doesn't have dental insurance and can't afford the needed dental treatments, the Tribune-Review reported.

Checca, who has already had two kidney transplants, told the newspaper that his damaged gums and teeth are the result of taking antirejection drugs twice daily since his first transplant 24 years ago.

But immediately after the paper published the story on July 18, four local dentists came forward offering to provide whatever services are necessary so that Checca can get the transplant, according to reporter Ashley Gold.

One of them, Timothy Chips, D.M.D., of Gibsonia called Checca today to schedule an evaluation. Dr. Chips has done dental clearances for other transplant and chemotherapy patients who typically have weak immune systems that cannot handle infections.

Dr. Chips said he saw Checca's story and was motivated to help someone who had "fallen through the cracks:" those who can't afford dental care but aren't poor enough to qualify for other programs.

"It's something that speaks pretty strongly to me because he's a middle-income American who has worked hard to make ends meet and provide for his family," Dr. Chips explained. "I think we live in a society where people are willing to reach out and help them. And I'm glad to hear the dental community was willing to reach out, too."

Dr. Chips and his brother John Chips, D.D.S., who operate Chips Dental Associates in Gibsonia and Pittsburgh, have been involved in the Donated Dental Services program in Pittsburgh, which provides treatment for pretransplant patients who can't afford needed dental work.

The other Pennsylvania dentists who volunteered to treat Checca include Barry Bartusiak, D.M.D., of Washington; Henry Miller, D.D.S., M.S., of Greensburg; and Cynthia Labriola, D.M.D., of Pittsburgh.