DELTA DENTAL AWARDS GRANTS TOTALING $1 MILLION IN SUPPORT OF RESEARCH AT UMDNJ-NEW JERSEY DENTAL SCHOOL

PARSIPPANY, NJ (April 2002) – The Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation, Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, has awarded three grants to the Foundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) totaling more than $1 million in support of work being conducted by researchers at the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School.

"Delta Dental recognizes the vital importance of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School in the overall oral health and delivery of dental care throughout our state," said Walter VanBrunt, president and CEO of Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc. (Delta Dental). "We are pleased to be able to provide the funds that will help advance dental health in New Jersey through the dental school."

According to Scott Navarro, DDS, vice president of professional services, Delta Dental, the gifts are "consistent with the findings of the Surgeon General, who called for private and public collaboration to help answer the unmet dental health needs of underserved populations."

One study that was funded, "Occlusal Hidden Caries," being conducted by researcher Jeffrey Linfante, DMD, will look at tooth decay in the grooves and pits of teeth in African-American children ages 9-14, to increase early detection of cavities. Although nationally dentists are seeing a reduction in the number of cavities that children have, minority populations are not enjoying those reductions, Dr. Navarro says. It is hoped that through this study early detection will make treatment a simpler, more effective process.

The second grant will examine Juvenile Aggressive Periodontal Diseases. While not as widespread as the problem of caries (cavities), it is a more severe problem, according to Dr. Navarro, because many times it is undetected until severe damage has already occurred and can result in tooth loss. While chronic gum disease is most prevalent after age 30, advanced cases of juvenile aggressive periodontal disease appear most frequently in African American teenagers. Daniel Fine, DDS, lead researcher in this study, is trying to find early ways to detect Juvenile Aggressive Periodontal Disease earlier and to determine why certain adolescents and teens are more susceptible to the disease than are others.

The third grant will allow researcher Maxine Strickland, DMD, to see if using special power toothbrushes will provide physically challenged individuals with cleaner teeth and better dental health. To conduct this study, 25 students at Matheny School and their caregivers will be educated about using the special toothbrush and will be studied for a six-month period.

According to Dr. Navarro, it is hoped that these three studies will serve as springboards for increased federal funding to improve dental health for minority populations nationwide. "While Delta Dental has partnered with our dental school for many years, we are grateful for this unusually large show of support of our efforts," said Dean Cecile A. Feldman, DMD, and MBA. "We know that, working together, we can help to improve the dental health of all New Jerseyans, and particularly of minority populations who still have significant unmet needs."

New Jersey Dental School has been preparing students for careers in the dental profession for more than 40 years. The school's state-of-the-art facilities include clinic space, research laboratories, and seminar and lecture room designed for optimum teaching and healthcare delivery. To accommodate changes in dental education, a 78,000 square-foot addition is being added to the Dental School for increased research and clinical space.

Delta Dental established the Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation in 1986. Its mission includes promoting and assisting educational projects devoted to the enhancement of dental health, research programs designed to increase public awareness of the general benefits of good health, and to improve dental health through the science of dentistry. Each year, the Delta Dental Foundation provides financial support to various organizations throughout the state.

Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey’s leading and largest dental benefits carrier, providing coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental Plan system is a national network of independently operated, not-for-profit dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs for employee groups throughout the country. For more information visit us on the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.