DELTA DENTAL AWARDS GRANT TO NEW BRUNSWICK BOARD OF EDUCATION

PARSIPPANY, NJ (August 15, 2002) – The Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation (Delta Dental) recently awarded a $100,000 grant to the New Brunswick Board of Education to establish Dental Care Centers at Lord Sterling Community School and the New Brunswick Health and Wellness Center at New Brunswick High School. Both Dental Centers will provide free oral health education and services to New Brunswick public school students. The grant will also be used to purchase a van to transport students to the Dental Care Centers from the town's other public schools.

"Educators are in a unique position to observe and respond to the daily emotional and physical concerns of students," said Betty Whalen, M.P.A., Director of New Brunswick Public School's Health, Safety, and Social Services. "In recent years, we have witnessed a rise in the oral health needs of students and have been concerned by the lack of resources available for those who can't afford care. The new Dental Centers will allow us to provide both treatment and oral health education to the children who are most in need."

In June 2002, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on the national crisis in children's dental health. According to the report, children of low socioeconomic status make few visits to the dentist because of barriers including cost and lack of transportation, which are among the issues directly relating to the student population in New Brunswick.

"Our goal in funding the new Dental Centers is to provide students with the resources needed to improve their oral health," said Gerald Sydell, Chairman, Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc. and Vice President, Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation. "Establishing healthy habits early in life can spare individuals from unnecessary pain and suffering as well as high financial and social costs associated with untreated dental disease."

The Dental Care Centers will be staffed during school hours with dentists, a dental hygienist, and several rotating dental students from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). Each Center will be equipped with a dental chair, x-ray machine, developing equipment, autoclave, dental instruments, sink, and all other supplies and materials necessary for performing basic dental procedures. Dentists at the Centers will be able to provide services and treatments including dental screenings (including x-rays), fluoride treatments, dental sealants, fillings, and tooth extractions.

The New Brunswick Board of Education will ensure that its students receive adequate and timely care through the implementation of a case management system. Students will be initially referred to the Dental Centers by school nurses. If it is determined that a child is in need of specialized oral surgery or orthodontic care, the staff of the Dental Care Center will refer the child to the appropriate facility where they can apply for charity care.

"By addressing the impact oral disease has on a child's cognitive development, we are confronting the complexity of the problem and offering a viable and long-term solution for our children," said Whalen. "The Dental Centers will also be a fundamental step in fostering an environment of trust, cooperation, and caring among the staff of New Brunswick Public Schools, their students, and the parents. A bilingual staff will be in place to answer questions or listen to any concerns."

In 2000, former Surgeon General David Satcher released a report citing a disparity in the oral health of populations, based on racial and economic factors, and called upon both public and private agencies to provide care and information to those in need. Delta Dental has initiated and supported a number of philanthropic endeavors that benefit the underprivileged and underserved in New Jersey. Their efforts have included dental clinics, educational grants, and holiday food and gift drives.

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 and 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 and Connecticut's leading 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.