Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation Awards $213,000 to Nonprofits Improving Oral Health Programs to Serve Uninsured Children Across the State

Glendale, AZ (PRWEB) February 14, 2008 -- The Board of Directors of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation has awarded $213,000 in grants to organizations across the state working to prevent oral disease for children with no dental insurance.

The grants will fund a variety of programs including a collaboration that provides free screenings, referrals and dental sealants for uninsured students across the state; dental clinics providing full dental services to children at free or reduced fees; and media prevention efforts that discourage first time Methamphetamine use for middle and high school age students.

Catholic Charities' Head Start and Early Head Start programs received a $10,000 grant for general dental treatments and major oral health care through a new partnership between Catholic Charities and the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health's mobile program.

"We are thrilled about this award," said Cathy Tompkins, director for Catholic Charities' West Valley Regional Service Center. "Research indicates that more than 20 percent of two-year olds in Arizona have experienced tooth decay and more than 25 percent of Arizona's kindergarteners have never seen a dentist. Our children come from low income families and most do not have adequate dental coverage. Without this funding, they would never receive any dental care."

Receiving a $10,000 grant, the Dave Pratt Dental Clinic, operating out of the I.G. Homes Branch of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Phoenix is providing dental services to children up to age 18 whose families do not have private insurance and could not otherwise afford proper dental care (see photo below).

Other grants included a $20,000 award to St. Elizabeth of Hungary Health Center in Tucson, $10,000 to St. Vincent de Paul Virginia G. Piper Dental Clinic for children's dental services, $10,000 to J.C. Lincoln Children's Dental Clinic, $10,000 to the Arizona Meth Project, and $143,000 of an overall $540,000 multiple year program for school-based sealants in Maricopa, Mohave and Pima Counties.

About Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation

Evidence-based prevention strategies that reduce oral disease such as fluoride varnish treatments, dental sealants, and oral health education are the focus of the Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation. Grants support programs providing fluoride varnish treatments for young children at risk for cavities. School-based programs reach children without dental insurance with dental screenings and sealants, and targeted initiatives affecting oral health in middle and high school aged students reduce at risk behaviors adversely affecting oral health. In the past decade, the Foundation has given back more than $2.2 million to the community to combat oral disease in Arizona. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.deltadentalaz.com/foundation.

About Delta Dental of Arizona

Delta Dental of Arizona is the leading dental benefits provider in Arizona with the largest network of 2,800 dentists, servicing more than 4,500 locations. Passionate about oral health and its importance to generations of families, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked for 35 years to improve oral health by emphasizing preventative care and making dental coverage accessible for a wide variety of employers, groups and individuals. Delta Dental of Arizona, in partnership with EyeMed, introduces DeltaVision, quality vision insurance plans that make maintaining healthy eyesight affordable. Quality dental, vision and FSA benefits are now available from a single, trusted source. For more information about Delta Dental of Arizona, please visit the website at www.deltadentalaz.com.

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