Delta Dental Foundation Awards Nearly $50,000 in Grants to Improve Oral Health

OKEMOS, Mich., March 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF), the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, recently announced the recipients of its first Community Mini-Grant Program designed to support programs that address the oral health needs of residents in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. The announcement was made by Nancy E. Hostetler, senior vice president of the DDF.

More than 100 grant applications were received for the program initiated in the fall of 2006. Grants were awarded in increments up to $5,000.

“The overwhelming response to our first Community Mini-Grant Program demonstrates that there continues to be a tremendous need in our communities for dental care,” said Hostetler. “Through our grantmaking, we hope to increase access to dental treatment and oral health education for thousands of underserved residents.”

   Selected grantees are:    Michigan    – Detroit Department of Health and Wellness, Mobile Child Caries      Screening Program, Detroit. A grant of $5,000 will be used to support a      program that provides childhood caries (cavities) screening and      treatment and caregiver education at Head Start and WIC (Women, Infants      and Children) sites throughout the City of Detroit.    – Saint Mary’s Health Care, Dental Health Education and Care for Low-      Income Hispanic Children, Grand Rapids, Mich.  A grant of $5,000 will      support a program that trains children in proper brushing and flossing,      provides family education regarding baby bottle tooth decay and      provides sealants for uninsured young children.    – Capital Area Health Alliance, Examining Alternatives to Dental Care in      the Emergency Room, Lansing, Mich. A grant of $5,000 will provide for a      project to explore the problems of oral health delivery in emergency      room settings and identify opportunities to offer access to dental      treatment in other settings.    – JTV, Oral Health DVD for Teens, Jackson, Mich. A grant of $5,000 will      help JTV produce an educational DVD about good oral health habits for      teens that will be used in middle and high schools.    Ohio    – Cincinnati Center for Children’s Dentistry, Providing Access to      Underserved Children, Cincinnati. A grant of $4,435 will help the      center improve the oral health of underserved children in southwest      Ohio by providing dental education and treatment. This program is      operated in collaboration with the Cincinnati Dental Society.    – Lucas County Regional Health District, Basic Oral Health Education for      School-Aged Children, Toledo, Ohio. A grant of $5,000 will be used to      provide oral hygiene packets, including education information and      toothbrushes, to 2,600 students at risk for cavities in 33 urban      elementary schools.    – Ohio State University (OSU) College of Dentistry, Deshler Dental      Scholars’ Adopt-a-School Program, Columbus, Ohio. A grant of $5,000      will help establish a comprehensive oral health care program between      the OSU College of Dentistry’s class of 2009 and class of 2010 and      Deshler Elementary School, an inner-city school with a large population      of underserved children in Columbus.    Indiana    – Indiana University School of Dentistry, Give Kids a Smile Day,      Indianapolis. A grant of $5,000 expanded an annual February event that      provides dental treatment for at-risk children and raises public      awareness about the importance of oral health.    – Partnership for a Healthier Johnson County, Dental Clinic Equipment,      Franklin, Ind. A grant of $5,000 will provide for a new dental      treatment delivery system, including an emergency oxygen mobile unit      and supplies for the dental clinic that serves uninsured residents of      Johnson County.    – City of Gary Health Department, Maternal Child Health Clinic, Gary,      Ind. A grant of $4,900 will provide for outreach materials and oral      health supplies to educate 5,000 Gary families about the importance of      oral health.   

The 2007 Delta Dental Foundation Community Mini-Grant Program call for entries will be announced later this year.

The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, which also operates Delta Dental of Ohio and Delta Dental of Indiana. The Foundation’s goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly for those with special needs.

The Delta Dental Foundation

CONTACT: Geoff Schwartz, +1-313-567-5008, or schwartz@franco.com, forThe Delta Dental Foundation