DELTA DENTAL FOUNDATION GRANTS $100,000 TO YALE-NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL ADULT DENTAL CLINIC, $15,000 WAS RECENTLY AWARDED TO THE KATHERINE BRENNAN SCHOOL-BASED DENTAL CLINIC
-Both clinics offer dental access to underserved in the New Haven- 

PARSIPPANY, NJ (March 27, 2006) – Delta Dental of New Jersey announces that its philanthropic arm, the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, will donate $100,000 to Yale-New Haven Hospital for its General Practice Residency Dentistry Program. The first increment of $50,000 was recently presented in March 2006 and will be used to purchase dental equipment and supplies to upgrade the adult dental clinic. Most enhancements will be made to the oral surgery suite. The second half of the grant will be presented in 2007 to add an associate chief to the program.

The Yale-New Haven Hospital adult dental clinic offers comprehensive dentistry to the New Haven community and surrounding areas. The clinic takes in as many patients as the residents can accommodate. Emergency care is also available 24 hours a day through the program. Almost 85 percent of patients seen by the residents are covered by Medicaid; the adult dental clinic also services many self-pay patients without dental insurance.

"Yale-New Haven Hospital's adult dental clinic has been providing dental care access to underserved members of the community for over 80 years," said Sayre Zanardi, RDH, manager, Dental Department. "The generous grant from Delta Dental will help us grow our residency program and essentially enhance the quality of dental care we can offer our patients."

Presently, the General Practice Residency Dentistry Program includes three general practice dentists, one oral surgeon, three dental assistants and one hygienist in the adult dental program. The program also includes over 45 attending dentists from the community who oversee the residents. The addition of an associate chief, who will participate as an additional attending dentist, will allow the program to expand to four general practice residents.

The Foundation also recently awarded a grant of $15,000 to the Katherine Brennan School-Based Dental Clinic in New Haven, part of the Hill Health Corporation. This school's clinic provides dental care for underserved children in the New Haven area who would otherwise go without it. Grant monies are being used to assist in funding supplies and salary costs.

"At Delta Dental, it is our mission to support dental programs that directly impact the oral health of Connecticut's underserved residents and offer dental care access to those in need," said Gene F. Napoliello, D.D.S., president of the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation. "Yale-New Haven Hospital and Katherine Brennan School are prime examples of those programs that we at Delta Dental are proud to support."

Delta Dental of New Jersey established the Delta Dental 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 oral health, and improving dental health through the science of dentistry. Each year, the Foundation awards $1 million to the community in the form of grants. Three-quarters of that budget is allocated to provide access to dental care for the underserved and dental education.

About Delta Dental of New Jersey, Inc.
Delta Dental 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 system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and the largest network of credentialed dentists in the nation. For more information visit us on the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.

About Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation
Delta Dental established the Delta Dental 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 improving dental health through the science of dentistry. Each year, the Delta Dental Foundation provides financial support to various organizations throughout New Jersey and Connecticut.