
Dental Care and Healing for Women Rescued from Trafficking
Denise Gianpetro, RDH, shares her journey in dental hygiene and her mission to provide compassionate care for victims of human trafficking through Foundation 9:22.
Denise Gianpetro, RDH, and her dentist employer founded Foundation 9:22, a nonprofit organization that provides compassionate dental care and healing for women rescued from human trafficking and exploitation.
Residing in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband and children, Gianpetro has been working in the dental field for more than 23 years, mainly as a dental
hygienist. She has practiced in a variety of specialties, including periodontics, endodontics, sedation dentistry, and general dentistry.
She shares her own dental hygiene path and how she became passionate about helping these victims with this issue of Sunstar Ebrief.

- What was your path to becoming a dental hygienist?
At 18, I was searching for a part-time job while attending community college. I had been working in retail customer service and was searching for something new. I interviewed for a receptionist position at an endodontist’s office. I knew very little about dentistry, but hoped my years of customer service experience and desire to learn would make me a good candidate for the job.
I worked for Jenny Kopp, DDS, MS, for several years and made lifelong friendships in a family-like environment that opened my eyes to the dental world. I was like a sponge, learning from my colleagues and every patient I met. I quickly cross-trained as a dental assistant so I could lend a hand anywhere I was needed. Dr. Kopp encouraged my interest and suggested I consider dental hygiene as a profession. Soon after that, I was shadowing dental hygienists and made the decision to become a dental hygienist.
- How did Foundation 9:22 become established and what is its mission?
In the fall of 2020, I was contacted by my sister who works for a nearby safe house that rescues women from human trafficking and exploitation with a resident in dental pain. The patient needed emergency dental care and was seeking a compassionate dentist. I’ve been richly blessed to work with several incredibly talented, compassionate, and inspiring dentists throughout my career, Jessica Bertoglio, DDS, being one of them. When I approached Dr. Bertoglio about treating the resident in need, she immediately said, “yes” and that she was familiar with the safe house as she’d seen a patient from there before.
Dr. Bertoglio had been volunteering her time and talent to all the residents of this safe house for well over a year when she came to me with a great idea. She shared how most of the patients she’d been seeing were recovering from substance abuse disorders and their dental needs were severe. She was able to treat their urgent dental needs, but wanted to see their oral health fully restored. Dr. Bertoglio suggested we start a nonprofit to better meet the needs of rescued women.
In February of 2022, Dr. Bertoglio, myself, and colleague, Marsha Mallett, joined forces to serve rescued women and launched Foundation 9:22. Our mission is to provide compassionate dental care and healing for women rescued from human trafficking and exploitation. We are blessed to work with a board of directors and volunteer team that is strongly called to our mission.
In our first year, we grew exponentially and now provide three programs for women rescued from human trafficking in the Chicago area and have added two dentists to our volunteer team. The need is great. In the Chicagoland area alone, between 16,000 and 25,000 women and children are affected by human trafficking and exploitation. Our long-term goal is to not only serve our immediate community, but to expand Foundation 9:22 nationwide. Readers can learn more at foundation922.org. please make this link live
- What inspired you to help victims of sex trafficking?
How could I not be inspired to help rescued women through dentistry? I find that dental hygienists are empathetic and compassionate people. We spend most of our professional days hearing our patients’ stories and getting to know them and their families. Our patients trust us by sharing their fears and allowing us to walk them through dental appointments to ease their anxiety. It’s what makes us good at our jobs.
I have heard testimonies of abuse from women both in my professional capacity, but also witnessed it outside of the office. I listen to their stories, pray for them, and respond by using my God-given talents and gifts in dentistry to be a small part of their healing. I love the idea of women supporting women and at Foundation 9:22, we team together in our vision: A world where rescued women are restored to dental health and equipped with confidence and a smile in their rehabilitated life.
- What do you think the future of the dental hygiene profession will hold?
More and more, people seek wisdom to prevent disease. I’m constantly reading about what exercise to do, which foods to eat, or supplements to take to prevent diseases and avoid taking long-term medications. Dental hygienists are preventive experts. Not only do we maintain oral health through providing prophylaxes and scaling and root planing, but we are also the patient educators, the nutritional counselors, and treatment plan decoders. We are the medical/dental provider the patient spends the most time with and have a rapport with patients that will always be essential to their overall health.