Delta Dental Foundation Announces Oral Health Education Initiative Grant Recipients

Four elementary schools in New Jersey Abbott school districts recently received the first Oral Health Education Initiative Grants from the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation. The grants will be used to initiate oral health education programs in their third-grade classes for the 2007-2008 school year.

The schools, each from a separate district, will receive grants of up to $5,000 each to fund the programs. They include: Jotham W. Wakeman Elementary School in Jersey City, Heywood Avenue Elementary School in Orange, Joseph C. Caruso Elementary School in Keansburg, and Redshaw and Lincoln Annex Elementary Schools in New Brunswick.

Each school developed an oral health education program made up of 10 monthly activities designed to teach students about the importance of oral health and teach them behaviors to promote good oral health.

The programs include monthly activities such as making homemade toothpaste, using disclosing tablets to distinguish plaque on students’ teeth, reading and discussing stories about oral health, and playing dental trivia.

"The programs each of the schools have developed truly captured the essence of our initiative, which is to bring attention to the importance of comprehensive oral health education, and instill good oral health habits early on so that children can take them into adulthood,” said Diane Belle, vice president of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation. “Each program was selected to for its creativity and originality, but most importantly for its sustainability. We look forward to watching the programs unfold.”

According to the American Dental Association, tooth decay is increasingly a disease of children from low- and moderate-income households. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that almost 50% of the cases of childhood tooth decay remain untreated, with the disease resulting in pain, dysfunction, being underweight, or having poor appearance – all problems that can greatly reduce a child’s capacity to thrive. The good news is that through proper oral hygiene and nutrition, childhood tooth decay can be prevented.

“Delta Dental welcomes the opportunity to further educate children, especially those who are underserved, about the importance of maintaining oral health and its close relationship to overall health and well being,” said Belle.

The Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation plans to offer the Oral Health Education Initiative Grant again for the 2008-2009 school year. For more information, contact Kimberly Elmore at (973) 944-4555 or kelmore@deltadentalnj.com.